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.    .    LIBRARY    .    . 

Connecticut 
Agricultural  College. 

VOL.. lAkiJL ^_      . 

C LASS    N O 1..X.0 ---.V..-Si.^- 

COST S.Q... 

DATE Q..ci:,...i..l. 1  9 1  -io 


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handle  this  volume 

with  care. 

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Libraries,  Storrs 


BOOK    170. F82    c.  1 

FOWLER    #    BEGINNING    RIGHT 


3  T153  DD0bES3M  5 


This  book  may  be  kept  otit 

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and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  TWO  CENTS 
a  day  thereafter.  It  will  be  due  on  the 
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at!  28  lSi6 

-/  271916 

IB. -4 
'^'         1917 

St    1-^9^^ 

n«  nv  1  f* 


H' 


BEQNNING  RIGHT 


HOIV  TO  SUCCEED 

BY 
NATHANIEL  C.  FOWLER,  Jr. 

Author    of  "The  Art  of  Letter  Writing,"   "Getting  a  Start,"    <*How 
to  Obtain  Citizenship,"   "How  to  Save  Money,"   "How  to 
Sell,"   "The  Art  of  Speech    Making,"   "Starting 
in  Life,"  etc.,  and  Originator  of  the  Dem- 
onstration Method  of  Education 


NEW  YORK 

SULLY  AND    KLEINTEICH 

1916 


•I        v/' '  'll^-^ 


Copyright,  iqT6,  by 
SULLY  &  KLEINTEICH 

All  rights  reserved 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

'T'HE  unprecedented  success  of  Mr.  Fo\vler*s 
■■'  articles,  which  appeared  under  the  general 
heading  of  "Getting  a  Start"  in  many  of  the 
leading  newspapers  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  under  the  auspices  of  the  McClure 
Newspaper  Syndicate,  suggested  the  publication 
of  a  number  of  them  in  book  form. 

The  book,  under  the  title  of  "Getting  a  Start," 
was  published  by  us  last  year.  It  was  immedi- 
ately received  with  favor  by  the  public  and  the 
press,  and  the  reviewers  were  unanimous  in  their 
commendation. 

Not  only  has  its  sale  been  large  and  general, 
but  business  and  professional  men  and  educators 
have  recommended  it  so  highly  that  many  copies 
have  been  purchased  by  employers  for  distribu- 
tion among  their  employees. 

The  articles  are  considered  the  best  inspira- 
tional short  talks  ever  written  or  published. 

In  order  to  fill  a  popular  and  ever  increasing 
demand,  we  have  selected  from  the  original  two 
hundred  and  fifty  articles  a  sufficient  number  to 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 


make  up  this  second  book.  Each  book  is  com- 
plete in  itself,  but,  as  there  is  no  duplication,  it 
is  suggested  that  those  who  have  enjoyed  one, 
procure  the  other. 


CONTENTS 


Continuity 

PAGE 
I 

Keeping  Your  Eyes  Open 

4 

Ideals      

8 

To-morrow 

11 

Keeping  on  the  Line 

.        14 

Observation 

•       17 

Keep  Doing  Something    . 

20 

How  Much  to  Save  . 

.       23 

Do  It  Now 

.         26 

Opening  a  Bank  Account 

.        29 

The  Loafer  on  the  Dock  . 

•     32 

The  News  and  the  Newspaper 

.       35 

"It's  nice  to  get  up  in  the  morninc 

-.'» 

38 

Keeping  Straight     . 

41 

Something  for  Nothing  . 

.       44 

Be  Decisive 

.       47 

Business  Loyalty     . 

.       50 

Education  for  Development 

53 

An  Outside  Interest 

56 

Tact 

1 

60 

CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Emergencies 

How  TO  Get  Your  Pay  Raised 

Interfering  Relatives  and  Friends 

Don't  Grow  Old 

The  Individual's  Standard 

Letting  Up       .         .         . 

Getting  a  Better  Position 

The   Inventor 

Keeping  and  Giving 

Interest   .... 

Intuitive  Judgment 

Sam  Was  Discouraged 

Snobs        .... 

Society     .... 

The-Sure-They-Are-"Righters 

Snags        .... 

Simplicity 

Respect  Yourself     . 

Regularity        ... 

Quick  Wit  and  Ignorance 

Using  the  Library  . 

The  Quality  of  Friendship 

Prospects 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Profitable  Oneness          .... 

139 

"Getting  By" 

142 

Getting  Together    , 

146 

Initiative 

149 

The  Oil  Pourer 

152 

In  the  Open     . 

155 

Work  and  Service 

158 

Insinuation 

161 

Want  to  Do  Right 

165 

Education 

168 

Little  Important  Things 

171 

"The  Other  Fellow" 

174 

Somebody — Not  Something 

177 

Odd  Times 

180 

Snubbing  ...... 

183 

The  Other  Man's  Point  of  View     . 

186 

Ourselves          ..... 

.        189 

Open  Air  Life           .... 

.        192 

He  Closed  the  Door 

.        195 

The  Mountain  and  the  Valley 

.        198 

John  and  Tom  ..... 

.       201 

Salary  Raising          .... 

.       204 

Happiness 

.       207 

Doing  as  You  Pleas 

E         .          .          . 

.      211 

vu 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Listener 214 

Culture   .... 

.     217 

Caste 

.     220 

Discrimination 

.     223 

The  Gentleman 

.     226 

Independence   . 

.     229 

Money 

.     232 

The  Power  of  Money 

.     235 

Put  on  the  Brakes  . 

.     238 

Sociability 

.     241 

Competition 

.     244 

Index 

.     247 

viii 


CONTINUITY 

In  continuity  is  strength. 

*       Disconnection  stands  for  weakness. 

The  strength  of  Nature  is  in  the  continuous- 
ness  of  her  forces. 

The  biggest  fish  are  in  the  brook  that  runs  on 
forever. 

The  stream  that  dries  up  this  month  and  is  a 
torrent  next  month  is  unsightly,  unhealthy,  and 
useless,  and  is  but  a  transient  drain-pipe.  The 
strength  and  the  good  of  its  current  are  offset  by 
its  periodical  dryness. 

The  man  who  feeds  his  horse  on  Monday  and 
gives  him  nothing  to  eat  on  Tuesday  will  have  a 
weak  horse  on  Wednesday,  a  half -dead  horse  on 
Thursday,  and  a  dead  horse  on  Friday. 

The  boy  who  goes  to  school  on  Monday,  skips 
Tuesday,  and  attempts  to  connect  the  end  of 
Monday's  lessons  with  the  beginning  of  Wed- 
nesday's studies,  is  traveling  along  a  crooked 
road  which  probably  will  not  lead  to  education. 

If  some  imbecile  should  come  out  of  the  un- 
thawed  North  to  preach  and  teach  the  doctrine 
of  continuous  change  of  business  base,  the  pro- 


CONTINUITY 


gressive  merchants  would  take  him  gently  by  the 
hand  and  maroon  him  in  a  wilderness. 

This  world  is  training  workers,  that  there  may 
be  no  shirkers  in  the  continuous  by  and  by. 

The  fact  that  some  of  the  world's  greatest  of 
apparent  accomplishers  appear  to  violate  the 
principles  of  success-making  does  not  disprove 
the  advantages  of  continuity.  Some  men  jump 
off  a  high  bridge  and  don't  get  killed,  but  life  in- 
surance underwriters  fight  shy  of  that  kind. 

Direct  connection  may  be  broken,  and  the 
breaker  continue  to  succeed;  it  is  also  a  fact 
that  the  merchant  can  keep  his  books  on  the  top 
of  a  barrel ;  but  successful  men  don't  do  either. 

Disconnection  is  one  of  the  great  causes  of 
failure.  Would  you  hire  a  carpet-layer  to  put 
down  a  breadth  of  carpet  a  day? 

Excess  fares  are  charged  for  the  trains  which 
make  but  a  few  stops. 

The  boy,  as  well  as  the  man  of  promise,  works 
and  plays  under  the  direction  of  some  sort  of  con- 
tinuous policy,  crude  though  it  may  be. 

Broken  work  is  hard  work,  for  it  takes  time 
to  connect  the  severed  edges. 

When  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  do  a 
thing,  finish  it.    Keep  it  in  mind  until  it  is  done. 

Don't  try  to  do  two  important  things  at  once. 


CONTINUITY 


You  can't.  Either  you  will  do  one  well  and  the 
other  poorly,  or  fail  in  both. 

Keep  moving,  and  move  in  the  same  direction, 
until  you  have  gone  as  far  as  you  should. 

Don't  turn,  twist,  and  run  in  circles  if  you  are 
trying  to  get  somewhere. 

Fix  your  eyes  on  your  distant  goal,  and  walk 
in  a  straight  direction  if  you  would  reach  it 
early.  Avoid  bypaths;  the  turnpike  leading  to 
accomplishment  usually  runs  straight;  it's  safer, 
and  free  from  landslides. 

Don't  loiter ;  keep  moving ;  it  may  rain  to-mor- 
row. 

Connect  your  ideas  and  your  work. 

Run  your  thought  in  a  continuous  train. 
Couple  up. 


KEEPING  YOUR  EYES   OPEN 

1\  yi  ANY  years  ago  a  young  man,  who  was 
*'^''  spending  his  summer  at  the  seashore, 
boarded  with  a  lighthouse-keeper.  He  was 
studious  and  thoughtful,  and  occupied  his  time 
during  pleasant  days  reading  under  the  shadow 
of  the  lighthouse. 

He  noticed  that  the  glass  in  the  lower  windows 
was  not  clear  like  that  in  the  openings  higher 
up.  He  tried  to  account  for  it,  but  no  explana- 
tion came  to  him.  One  evening  he  brought  the 
matter  to  the  attention  of  the  keeper. 

*'Why,''  replied  that  official,  "it's  that  plaguy 
sand,  which  the  wind  blows  against  the  windows. 
I  have  to  reset  that  glass  two  or  three  times  a 
year." 

The  young  man  was  interested,  and  by  ex- 
periment found  that  he  could  produce  the  same 
result  by  forcibly  driving  sand  against  a  pane  of 
glass.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  ground-glass 
process,  and  what  is  known  as  a  sand  glass 
machine,  which  is  used  throughout  the  world. 

Nature  told  him.  Nature  produced  the  first 
ground  glass. 

4 


KEEPING  YOUR  EYES  OPEN 


The  lighthouse-keeper  had  seen  this  phe- 
nomenon for  years,  but  had  paid  no  attention 
to  it  except  to  replace  the  glass  and  to  find  fault 
with  the  sand  and  the  wind.  Thousands  beside 
this  man  had  probably  witnessed  the  effect  of  the 
sand  blown  against  the  glass,  but  they  did  not 
investigate,  they  did  not  think  about  it,  they  did 
not  see  with  their  eyes. 

Many  of  our  greatest  inventions  had  their 
foundation  in  observation,  accidental  observa- 
tion at  the  start,  but  scientific  observation  after- 
wards. 

Our  eyes  are  the  windows  of  the  brain.  They 
carry  all  that  passes  before  them  to  the  mind, 
and  that  is  the  end  of  their  province.  It  is  then 
for  the  mind  to  use  what  has  been  photographed 
by  the  camera  of  the  eye. 

Seeing,  by  itself,  is  the  lazy  man's  work.  If 
he  isn't  blind,  he  cannot  help  seeing,  and  he  sees 
a  thousand  things  which  others  not  only  see,  but 
act  upon. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  grades  of  ability, 
all  of  us,  to  a  large  extent,  are  similar  both  phy- 
sically and  mentally.  Opportunity  does  not  con- 
fine itself  to  any  one  road,  to  any  one  town,  or 
to  any  one  country.  It  is  everywhere.  It  is 
passing    before    us    like    a    great    and    endless 

5 


KEEPING  YOUR  EYES  OPEN 


panorama.  Some  merely  see  it.  Others  do  more 
than  see  it.  They  dwell  upon  it.  They  study 
it.  They  are  forever  reaching  out  for  something 
which  others  have  not  seen,  and  which  may  or 
may  not  become  a  discovery,  beneficial  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  world. 

I  could  relate  hundreds  of  incidents.  I  could 
tell  you  many  a  story  about  boys  and  men  who 
not  only  saw,  but  did  something  with  what  they 
saw. 

It  is  obvious  that  failure  may  result  from 
the  most  scientific  observation,  and  that  all  those 
who  strive  to  accomplish  great  things  may  miss 
even  the  small  ones;  but  it  may  be  said  with 
truth  that,  if  you  are  not  on  the  lookout  for 
something,  you  will  never  find  anything.  Chance 
may  come  to  you;  good  luck  may  cross  youf 
path;  but  neither  chance  nor  luck  is  worth  any- 
thing to  you  unless  you  use  it. 

Luck  does  not  discriminate.  That  is  for  you 
to  do.  Chance  will  do  nothing  for  you  except 
to  pass  before  you.  It  is  for  you  to  corral  it, 
to  do  something  with  it,  to  make  something  out 
of  it. 

There  is  not,  and  never  will  be,  a  monopoly 
of  opportunity.  The  poor  man,  as  well  as  the 
rich  man,  has  it. 

6 


KEEPING  YOUR  EYES  OPEN 


What  are  you  going  to  do  with  opportunity? 
That  is  the  vital  question,  for  opportunity  un- 
noticed is  as  valueless  as  unmined  gold. 


IDEALS 

"\Y/^  cannot  all  realize  our  ideals,  but  we  can 

VV     idealize  our  realities." 

The  higher,  the  better,  successes  always  fol- 
low the  establishment  of  an  ideal. 

The  road  to  achievement  is  upward  and  on- 
ward, and,  although  few  of  those  who  travel  it 
ever  reach  the  height  of  expectation,  none  of 
those  who  do  not  attempt  to  attain  that  goal 
ever  succeeded  in  getting  anywhere  near  it. 

The  man  without  an  ideal  is  to  be  despised. 
He  is  not  a  good  citizen,  a  good  father,  a  good 
husband,  or  good  for  anything  else.  He  occupies 
just  so  much  material  space,  and  is,  at  best,  but 
a  machine  run  by  a  metallic  heart,  pumping  cold 
blood  over  a  system  which  exists  but  does  not 
live. 

Few  of  us  realize  our  ideal,  but  all  of  us  may 
idealize  our  realities,  Hft  them  out  from  the  com- 
mon, and  feel  that,  no  matter  what  they  are,  they 
are  worthy  of  appreciation,  because  they  have 
to  do  with  our  daily  life. 

The  Great  Ideal  is  composed  of  a  hundred  or 
a  thousand  minor  ideals,  each  standing  by  itself 

8 


IDEALS 


for  a  time  and  merging  into  one  higher  and  bet- 
ter as  we  progress. 

If  we  did  not  ideaHze  as  we  went  along,  we 
should  not  collect  material  which  would  build 
for  us  a  House  of  Fame. 

I  do  not  care  how  low  down  you  may  be — per- 
haps your  position  is  at  the  very  bottom  of  the 
ladder — but  while  you  are  there  you  can  look  up 
to  the  first  rung,  even  though  you  are  not  yet 
able  to  reach  it;  and,  when  you  have  attained  it, 
the  next  rung  is  your  ideal,  and  so  on  as  you  go 
up  and  onward. 

A  young  friend  of  mine  began  as  office  boy, 
and  his  first  duty  was  to  file  letters.  He  threw 
himself  into  his  work,  and  was  soon  known  as 
the  best  letter-filer  the  house  had  ever  had.  His 
ideal  was  to  do  his  work  so  well  that  he  would  be 
known  by  the  result.  When  he  had  accomplished 
this,  he  was  given  something  better  to  do,  and  he 
handled  the  new  proposition  as  he  had  the  for- 
mer, making  a  name  for  himself.  Then  another 
position  was  opened  to  him,  and  he  mastered  its 
requirements.  He  had  two  ideals:  an  ideal  of 
the  present,  and  an  ideal  of  the  future;  and, 
while  he  worked  under  the  former,  he  thought 
of  the  latter.  He  kept  his  feet  firmly  planted 
upon  the  ground  of  his  present  duty  and  reached 

9 


IDEALS 


out  for  something  better,  never  forgetting  that 
something  better  would  never  come  unless  he 
threw  himself  fully  into  his  present  work  and 
made  that  a  stepping-stone  to  higher  things.  He 
lived  in  the  present  and  in  the  future,  watchful 
of  the  duties  of  the  day,  that  he  might  better 
prepare  himself  for  those  of  the  morrow.  His 
ideals  changed  as  he  changed,  but  he  never  let 
go  of  one  until  he  had  a  firm  hold  of  another. 
He  won,  as  have  thousands  like  him;  and  did 
not  fail,  as  tens  of  thousands  unlike  him  have 
failed,  those  who  idealized  nothing,  who  neither 
cared  for  the  present  nor  anticipated  the  future. 

Have  an  ideal,  and  be  always  conscious  of  it. 
Until  you  reach  your  Great  Ideal,  idealize  your 
present  realities,  for  a  reality  without  an  ideal  is 
no  better  than  an  ideal  without  a  reality. 


TO 


TO-MORROW 

LIFE  has  three  seasons :  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
to-morrow. 

What  you  did  yesterday  overlaps  into  to-day, 
and  what  you  do  to-day  is  carried  over  into  to- 
morrow. 

Which  is  the  most  important  of  the  three? 

No  one  of  them,  because  any  one  by  itself  is 
incomplete. 

If  you  did  your  duty  yesterday,  the  work  of 
to-day  becomes  easier  to  accomplish. 

If  you  attend  to  the  work  of  to-day,  to-morrow 
will  be  open  to  you  and  its  duties  will  not  be  so 
difficult  to  perform. 

While  each  day  has  its  place — yesterday,  to- 
day, and  to-morrow — inattention  to  any  one  of 
those  days  will  materially  affect  the  life  and  ac- 
tion of  the  remaining  two. 

You  cannot  recover  yesterday.  It  has  passed 
out  of  your  life  forever.  If  it  was  a  day  of  mis- 
takes, they  must  be  corrected  to-day  or  to-mor- 
row. 

If  you  live  only  for  to-day,  you  will  be  no  bet- 
II 


TO-MORROW 


ter  than  the  animal,  which  may  think  backward, 
but  cannot  think  ahead. 

The  importance  of  to-day  is  not  vested  wholly 
in  to-day.    It  is  in  to-morrow  as  well. 

To-day  is  yours.     To-morrow  may  be. 

Unless  you  anticipate  the  morrow  to-day,  to- 
morrow you  will  not  have  to-morrow  well  in 
hand. 

Men  of  great  accomplishment  do  not  consider 
any  one  day  as  all-important.  They  do  to-day's 
work  not  wholly  because  it  is  of  to-day,  but  be- 
cause it  will  affect  to-morrow. 

Regret  yesterday  if  you  will.  Be  sorry  for 
your  backsliding.  You  may  have  lost  a  day.  If 
you  have,  you  must  make  it  up  to-day  and  to- 
morrow. There  is  more  in  to-morrow  for  you 
than  there  is  in  to-day,  for  to-morrow  extends 
indefinitely  into  your  future,  while  to-day  closes 
with  the  setting  sun. 

Everything  you  do,  be  it  much  or  little,  marks 
a  dot  on  the  chart  of  your  life  and  extends  into 
the  immeasurable  future.  If  it  does  not  connect 
with  the  dot  of  to-morrow,  you  have  missed  a 
connection  which  might  have  led  to  success. 

Render  unto  to-day  the  requirements  of  to- 
day, but  so  do  your  work  that  there  will  be  no 
dividing  gulf  between  to-day  and  to-morrow; 

12 


TO-MORROW 


for,  if  there  is,  you  will  have  to  spend  much  ex- 
tra time  building  a  bridge  over  which  you  are 
not  likely  to  cross. 

L-Sow  the  seed  of  to-day  so  that  it  will  grow  on 
the  morrow.  The  crop  of  no  one  day,  even 
though  it  may  seem  sufficient,  is  enough  to  give 
you  a  profitable  harvest,  i 

The  rounded-out  man,  the  man  who  has  made 
his  mark,  who  is  respected  in  his  community,  is 
he  who  is  both  to-day's  man  and  to-morrow's 
man  as  well,  who  feels  his  responsibility,  and 
who  connects  everything  he  does  with  the  good 
things  which  he  has  before  accomplished  and 
with  the  better  things  which  he  hopes  to  attain 
in  the  future. 

The  man  of  failure  is  he  who  is  self-satisfied, 
who  feels  that  when  a  duty  is  done  it  is  finished, 
that  he  may  cross  it  off  his  slate  and  begin  some- 
thing new,  as  though  something  old  had  not  been 
done. 

Continuity  is  one  of  the  principal  elements  in 
the  composition  of  success.  No  one  thing  stands 
out  by  itself.  Its  value  is  in  its  connection  with 
other  things,  a  harmonious  blending  together  of 
experience  and  activity,  of  the  past,  the  present, 
and  the  probable  future. 


13 


KEEPING  ON  THE  LINE 

WHEN  I  was  a  youngster  I  was  a  member  of 
a  school  regiment,  different  from  those  of 
to-day,  for,  by  being  permitted  to  organize  our- 
selves and  by  taking  part  in  parades  and  exhibi- 
tion drills,  we  learned  the  art  of  self-discipline 
instead  of  competing  for  prizes. 

I  recall  many  a  march  on  a  hot,  dusty  day,  and 
how  pleasant  it  was  to  hear  the  command  that 
floated  down  the  line :  "Halt !  Order  arms !  In 
place — rest !" 

Perhaps  the  order  is  different  now,  but  the  re- 
sult is  the  same.  Then  every  boy  could  do  what 
he  pleased,  if  he  kept  one  foot  on  the  line.  He 
could  sit  down,  he  could  lie  down,  or  he  could 
stretch ;  but  he  must  keep  one  foot  on  the  line,  so 
that,  when  the  order  ''Attention!"  came,  he  had 
only  a  part  of  himself  to  draw  into  place. 

The  world  of  business  is  a  vast,  gunless  army 
made  up  of  soldier  employees,  with  pens  and  tools 
for  their  armament.  As  in  the  line  of  march,  he 
who  would  keep  on  the  line  of  success  must  not 
allow  more  than  part  of  himself  to  reach  out  be- 
yond the  middle  of  the  road  of  safety. 

H 


KEEPING  ON  THE  LINE 


Experiment  if  you  will.  Take  reasonable 
chances  if  they  seem  best.  But  never  let  the 
whole  of  yourself,  or  all  of  what  you  have, 
whether  it  is  in  money  or  in  chattels,  get  away 
from  you.  Be  in  a  position  always  to  return  to 
camp.  Do  not  wander  aimlessly  or  otherwise 
across  strange  fields  and  into  the  woods  of  mys- 
tery. 

I  do  not  mean  that  you  should  stay  always 
close  to  your  base  of  supplies,  for  he  who  settles 
on  one  spot,  and  does  not  move,  wears  out  with 
the  spot.  Yet  he  who  has  no  base,  who  has  no 
one  place  to  which  he  can  return,  is  like  a  wan- 
derer on  the  face  of  the  earth,  a  man  without  a 
country  and  without  a  means  of  livelihood. 

Therefore,  I  say  to  you,  young  man,  and  to 
you,  young  woman,  if  you  would  progress,  march 
along  the  path  which  others  have  successfully 
trodden ;  keep  close  to  it  most  of  the  time ;  and 
always  keep  near  to  it  until  you  can  rightly  feel 
that  experience  has  given  you  a  compass  which, 
if  it  will  not  point  the  way  to  go,  will  at  least  in- 
dicate the  shortest  way  by  which  to  return. 

Don't  be  influenced  by  the  meteoric  successes 
of  your  friends  who  have  taken  big  chances. 
Perhaps  some  of  them  have  made  a  great  deal  of 
money.    Perhaps  they  will  come  to  you  and  tell 

13 


KEEPING  ON  THE  LINE 


you  of  the  large  returns  which  will  be  yours  if 
you  will  only  do  as  they  have  done.  In  the  enthusi- 
asm of  their  present  success  they  are  probably 
sincere.  But  don't  be  foolish  enough  to  put  your 
all — or  a  big  part  of  your  all — into  something 
which  "looks  good."  It  may  be,  in  fact,  it  prob- 
ably is,  "too  good  to  be  true,"  and  you  will  find 
it  out  to  your  cost  at  a  later  day.  When  you 
think  of  the  few  who  have  taken  big  risks  and 
succeeded,  remember  that  the  great  majority  who 
have  taken  the  risks  have  failed. 
Keep  on  the  line  of  safety. 


i6 


OBSERVATION 

MARY  SMITH— that  isn't  her  name,  but  it 
will  do — was  a  junior  stenographer  in  a 
manufacturing  concern.  Her  prescribed  duties 
were  limited  to  taking  dictation  and  to  transcrib- 
ing the  result  upon  the  typewriter.  She  had  two 
eyes,  and  she  used  both  of  them. 

The  headquarters  of  the  company  are  in  a  large 
office  building.  There  is  a  mail  chute  on  every 
floor,  and  the  mail  is  collected  hourly.  Most  of 
the  letters  of  this  company  are  dictated  in  the 
morning,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  are 
ready  for  mailing  by  noon.  Comparatively  few 
of  them,  however,  are  mailed  until  the  close  of 
business. 

The  company  has  a  large  branch  house  in  an- 
other city.  If  a  letter  is  mailed  before  noon,  it 
catches  a  limited  Western  train,  and  will  reach 
its  destination  the  next  day  in  time  for  delivery 
in  the  early  afternoon.  If  it  is  mailed  later,  it 
catches  the  train  reaching  the  distant  city  too  late 
for  its  delivery  on  the  following  day. 

Miss  Smith  discovered  this  and,  of  her  own  vo- 
lition, saw  to  it  that  all  letters  directed  to  the 

17 


OBSERVATION 


branch  house  were  mailed  before  noon,  provided, 
of  course,  that  they  were  ready. 
The  advantage  is  too  self-evident  for  comment. 

The  president  learned  what  she  was  doing. 
From  that  moment  she  was  a  marked  woman  in 
the  office,  and  to-day  she  is  at  the  head  of  the 
stenographic  department  and  assistant  office  man- 
ager, drawing  a  salary  of  about  two  thousand 
dollars. 

John  Smith — and  that  isn't  his  name  either — 
a  few  years  ago  was  office  boy  for  a  wholesaler. 
He,  too,  used  his  eyes.  One  day  he  was  obliged 
to  wait  in  the  post  office.  Instead  of  gazing  into 
the  street,  he  poked  his  head  into  one  of  the 
windows  which  overlooked  the  mailing  rack.  He 
noticed  that  letters  enclosed  in  envelopes  of  or- 
dinary size  were  immediately  placed  in  the  pig- 
eon-holes, and  that  the  distributing  clerk  usually 
dropped  the  larger  envelopes  on  the  mailing  table, 
because  they  did  not  fit  into  the  pigeon-holes  and 
because  it  was  difficult  to  tie  them  up  with  the 
ordinary  envelopes. 

John  made  inquiries  and  found  that  not  infre- 
quently the  large  envelopes  missed  the  earlier 
mail,  and,  therefore,  were  not  delivered  as 
promptly  as  were  letters  enclosed  in  envelopes  of 
ordinary  size.    He  reported  this  to  his  employer. 

18 


OBSERVATION 


The  incident,  insignificant  though  it  may  seem, 
placed  John  in  the  eye  of  the  man  for  whom  he 
worked.    To-day  he  is  chief  clerk. 

Your  employer  expects  you  to  be  on  time,  to 
be  faithful,  and  to  do  the  work  allotted  to  you. 
For  this  service  he  pays-  you  the  regular  market 
price.  He  does  not  ask  you  to  do  more,  and 
ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  employees  do  not  do 
more. 

The  fellow,  however,  who  uses  his  brain,  who 
is  always  observant,  is  pretty  sure  to  discover 
something  which  will  benefit  his  employer.  It  may 
be  a  little  thing,  or  a  big  one,  but  it  lifts  him  out 
of  the  ranks  and  is  the  beginning  of  his  success. 

Doing  what  you  have  to  do,  or  what  you  are 
told  to  do,  means  a  livelihood.  Taking  the  initia- 
tive, and  doing  what  you  are  not  told  to  do  or 
expected  to  do,  stand  for  promotion  and  a  liberal 
salary. 

To  use  the  slang  of  the  business  street,  **it's  up 
to  you,  not  up  to  the  boss." 


KEEP  DOING  SOMETHING 

AT  one  of  my  clubs  we  have  a  big,  round 
table,  seating  twenty  or  more,  and  each  noon 
we  eat  soup  and  break  bread  together.  No  two 
of  us  are  alike  except  in  an  irresistible  desire  to 
say  what  we  think,  let  it  hit  where  it  will. 

The  other  day  the  man  at  my  left  was  suffer- 
ing temporarily  from  pessimism,  an  ailment  from 
which  none  of  us  is  wholly  free. 

'T  am  tired  of  work,"  he  said,  ''and  look  for- 
ward to  the  day  when  I  shall  have  nothing  to 
do." 

*'My  boy,"  I  replied,  "you'll  never  reach  that 
unblissful  state.  When  there's  nothing  for  you 
to  do  in  this  world,  you'll  die,  and  the  next  day 
you'll  begin  your  work  of  the  future.  There's  no 
place  in  this  world,  or  in  the  next,  for  the  man 
who  stops,  and  no  man  ever  stops.  The  stopper 
isn't  a  man." 

Ninety  per  cent,  of  employees  have  off-time 
when  their  specified  duties  are  done.  Instead  of 
finding  something  to  do,  or  perfecting  themselves 
in  some  particular  direction,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  more  efficient  workers,  they  loaf. 

20 


KEEP  DOING  SOMETHING 


The  keen  employer  keeps  both  eyes  open,  and 
he  knows  what  his  men  are  doing  and  what 
they  are  not  doing,  ahhough  he  may  not  watch 
them  all  the  time.  He  divides  his  men  into 
two  classes :  those  who  want  to  work,  and, 
therefore,  work;  and  those  who  work  when 
they  have  to  and  don  work  when  they  don't 
have  to.  The  members  of  the  first  class 
are  marked  for  promotion.  The  others  may 
hold  their  jobs,  but  they  seldom  get  beyond 
them. 

I  am  not  asking  any  one  to  work  strenuously  all 
of  the  time,  and  I  am  a  thorough  believer  in  di- 
version and  recreation;  but  working  hours  are 
for  work,  not  for  play,  and  loafing  has  no  place 
in  business. 

Shirking  and  loafing  are  synonymous,  and  are 
but  names  for  failure. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  overworking,  provided 
you  keep  reasonable  hours  and  don't  rush.  Com- 
paratively few  overwork.  Most  people  over- 
worry  while  they  work.  Keeping  steadily  at  it 
when  there  is  something  to  do  is  safer  and  better 
than  strenuous  labor  of  any  kind  accompanied  by 
worry  and  anxiety. 

It  is  better  to  work  an  hour  longer,  and  retire 
with  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  you  have 

21 


KEEP  DOING  SOMETHING 


done  your  duty,  than  to  go  to  bed  with  your  un- 
done work  as  a  bedfellow. 

Keep  moving;  if  you  do,  you  may  not  arrive  at 
anything  worth  while,  but  if  you  do  not,  you  will 
surely  stagnate. 

The  heart  of  success  is  always  in  action. 


22 


HOW  MUCH  TO  SAVE 

IDG  not  mean  to  say  that  all  men  who  save 
succeed,  but  I  never  knew  anyone  who  made 
anything  of  himself,  who  amounted  to  anything, 
who  established  any  kind  of  a  worth-while  repu- 
tation, who  did  not  save  either  money  or  its 
equivalent. 

The  extravagant  man,  whether  he  is  a  spend- 
thrift of  money  or  careless  of  his  time  or  health, 
is  marked  for  failure. 

Every  man  should  economize  in  money  if  he 
can,  or  in  something,  anyway.  Otherv^^ise  his 
extravagance  will  run  away  with  him  and  his 
race  will  be  short. 

Some  of  us  may  not  be  able  to  lay  aside  much 
money,  or  any  money,  at  times;  but  this  condi- 
tion, if  it  is  unavoidable,  does  not  prevent  the 
practice  of  legitimate  economy. 

Economy,  broadly  understood,  is  not  limited 
to  the  saving  of  money  or  to  the  proper  expendi- 
ture of  it.  It  stands  for  something  higher  and 
better.  It  means  the  economical  or  proper  han- 
dling of  all  our  possessions,  whether  they  be 
money,  ability,  or  opportunity. 

23 


HOW  MUCH  TO  SAVE 


How  much  should  the  young  man  save  in 
money?  No  definite  answer  can  be  given,  be- 
cause one  man  can  save  a  dollar  more  easily  than 
another  man  can  put  away  a  cent. 

Everyone,  however,  should  make  strenuous  ef- 
fort to  save  something  every  week,  if  it  is  only  a 
nickel. 

It  is  better  to  put  away  five  cents,  and  to  do  it 
consistently,  than  to  refuse  to  save  half  a  dime 
because  you  cannot  spare  more. 

The  principle  of  saving  is  right.  There  is  no 
principle  in  extravagance,  and  extravagance  is  al- 
ways wrong,  whether  you  are  a  multi-millionaire 
or  a  peddler  of  papers  on  the  street. 

It  is  better  to  save,  and  to  draw  upon  your  sav- 
ings in  an  emergency,  than  not  to  save  at  all. 

Not  one  of  us  is  perfect,  or  consistent,  or 
thoroughly  dependable.  It  is,  therefore,  neces- 
sary for  us  to  discipline  ourselves,  and  a  part  of 
life's  discipline  is  the  saving  of  money  or  of 
some  other  possession. 

The  man  who  does  not  save  when  he  can  is  as 
bad  as  the  ordinary  breaker  of  the  law,  for,  by 
refusing  to  lay  aside  a  sufficient  sum  to  meet 
emergencies  and  old  age,  he  pleads  guilty  to  the 
charge  of  possible  pauperism.  He  is  willing  to 
let  others  support  him. 

24 


HOW  MUCH  TO  SAVE 


Refusing  to  do  what  we  should  do  is  just  as 
bad  as  doing  what  is  actively  wrong.  The  sin  of 
omission  is  not  second  to  the  sin  of  commission. 

It  is  a  man's  duty  to  protect  himself  and  those 
for  whom  he  is  responsible.  If  he  can  do  this 
and  does  not,  he  is  not  a  good  citizen,  not  a  good 
husband,  not  a  good  father,  and  he  is  not  to  be 
trusted. 

Honesty  where  one's  responsibilities  are  con- 
cerned is  just  as  essential  as  is  the  honesty  which 
keeps  a  man  from  robbing  the  cash  drawer. 

Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  the  people  who  say 
they  cannot  save,  intentionally  or  unintentionally 
prevaricate.  No,  let  me  speak  more  plainly :  they 
are  liars. 

Save  when  you  can,  because  the  future  will 
not  take  care  of  itself,  and  because  the  principle 
of  saving  is  right. 

Your  employer  considers  your  savings  bank 
book  as  your  best  recommendation.  If  you  do 
not  know  how  to  save  for  yourself,  he  has  little 
reason  to  believe  that  you  will  work  in  his  in- 
terest. 


35 


DO  IT  NOW 

YESTERDAY  is  past.    To-day  is  here.    To- 
morrow may  never  arrive. 

You  have  been  responsible  for  the  past;  you 
are  responsible  for  the  present;  and  the  future 
is  dependent,  not  altogether  upon  itself,  but 
largely  upon  what  you  do  to-day. 

Great  men  in  every  department  of  activity  do 
the  work  of  to-day  to-day.  They  do  not  put  off 
until  to-morrow  what  belongs  to  to-day,  nor  do 
they  overwork  to-day  that  they  may  rest  to-mor- 
row. They  apportion  their  work  and  their  play 
in  a  sane  and  sensible  manner. 

If  you  have  a  disagreeable  task  to  perform,  one 
which  is  likely  to  require  all  of  your  energy,  com- 
plete it  to-day,  if  you  can.  If  you  do  not,  you 
will  think  about  it  to-day  and  labor  over  it  to- 
morrow.   You  will  make  two  days'  work  of  one. 

Things  undone  which  ought  to  be  done  are 
done  twice. 

Any  attempt  to  postpone  that  which  should  be 
attended  to  now  means  harder  work  to-morrow 
and  more  work  the  day  after  to-morrow. 

26 


DO  IT  NOW 


Doing  it  now  stands  for  economy  and  for 
peace  of  mind,  for  real  rest  and  happiness. 

If  there  is  any  one  thing  above  all  others  which 
predisposes  your  employer  in  your  favor,  it  is 
the  finishing  of  your  duties  on  time  or  ahead  of 
time. 

Someone  once  asked  a  great  man  to  what  he 
attributed  his  success.  Instantly  he  replied :  "To 
doing  what  I  have  to  do,  or  what  I  should  do,  at 
the  earliest  convenient  moment." 

You  remember  the  old  adage:  ''Procrastina- 
tion is  the  thief  of  time."  It  is  more  than  that. 
It  is  the  highwayman  who  gets  in  your  way  and 
hinders  you  from  progressing,  who  keeps  you 
always  in  the  rear  rank  of  accomplishment. 

Do  it  now.  Do  it  at  once.  Refuse  to  post- 
pone anything  which  cannot  be  carried  over  with- 
out loss. 

Systematize  your  time.  Allot  work  for  each 
hour,  if  possible,  and  do  that  work  at  the  pre- 
scribed time,  always  remembering  that  even  this 
principle  may  be  overworked  and  overdone. 
Some  men  are  altogether  too  prompt.  They 
crowd  to-morrow's  work  into  to-day.  They  rush, 
they  hustle.  They  wear  themselves  out  unneces- 
sarily. Judgment  must  be  used  here  as  in  every 
other  action  of  life. 

27 


DO  IT  NOW 


If  you  cannot  follow  the  principle  exactly,  how- 
ever, you  would  better  lean  toward  doing  too 
much  now  than  too  little  now. 

Rest  comes  after  accomplishment,  not  before 
it.  Thought  of  what  you  have  to  do  tires  you, 
even  though  you  may  be  reclining  under  the  trees 
listening  to  the  babbling  brook. 

No  real  man,  no  man  of  success,  ever  rested 
when  he  had  something  to  do.  He  did  his  work 
first,  and  then  enjoyed  a  well-earned  diversion. 

Do  it  now,  if  you  can.  To-day  is  yours.  To- 
morrow your  opportunity  may  be  lost.  You  may 
plan,  and  feel  optimistic  of  result,  but  you  can 
never  be  sure  of  the  future.  Don't  wait  and 
"trust  to  luck."  It  is  not  a  safe  thing  on  which 
to  pin  your  faith.  The  present  moment  is  surely 
yours.  Take  it  while  you  have  it  and  make  the 
most  of  it.    It  will  never  come  again. 

Do  it  now! 


OPENING  A  BANK  ACCOUNT 

THE  days  of  the  teapot  depository  for  money 
have  passed,  or  are  rapidly  passing  away, 
and  the  provincial  stocking  is  no  longer  consid- 
ered seriously. 

Comparatively  few  financiers  or  business  men 
carry  more  than  a  few  dollars  in  their  pocket- 
books  or  at  home,  and  they  seldom,  if  ever,  pay 
a  bill  except  by  bank  check. 

The  millionaire  and  the  man  of  extensive  busi- 
ness do  not  often  see  or  handle  more  than  a  few 
hundred  dollars  in  bills  a  year. 

Comparatively  few  wholesale  business  houses 
carry  in  their  money  draw^ers  or  safes  more  than 
a  hundred  dollars  at  a  time,  except  on  pay  days. 

The  national  bank  and  trust  company  have  be- 
come the  depositories  for  cash,  and  practically  all 
of  the  business  of  the  world  to-day  is  done  by 
check  and  draft. 

Bills  have  little  circulation  except  for  small 
transactions  or  in  the  retail  stores  and  for  pay 
rolls.  Even  in  the  last  named  case  many  em- 
ployees receive  their  weekly  or  monthly  wages  or 
salary  by  check. 

29 


OPENING  A  BANK  ACCOUNT 


Even  when  national  banks  and  trust  companies 
fail,  the  depositors  seldom  suffer  heavy  loss,  be- 
cause they  are  preferred  creditors. 

All  banks  of  deposit  are  subject  to  examina- 
tion by  the  United  States  Government  or  their 
State  Governments,  and  most  of  them  are  con- 
servative, few  of  them  taking  speculative  chances 
in  the  investment  of  their  money.  At  any  rate, 
money  deposited  in  a  bank  is  far  safer  than 
that  carried  on  the  person  or  in  the  bureau 
drawer. 

Nearly  all  the  national  banks  and  trust  com- 
panies pay  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  per  cent, 
interest  on  daily  balances  of  sums  from  three  to 
five  hundred  dollars. 

I  should  advise  every  young  man  and  every 
young  woman  in  business  to  open  an  account  in 
some  national  bank  or  trust  company.  If  you 
have  any  doubts  as  to  the  standing  of  the  bank, 
ask  the  advice  of  two  or  three  leading  merchants, 
who  are  likely  to  know  the  reputation  of  all  finan- 
cial institutions  within  their  city  or  town. 

The  advantages  of  carrying  a  deposit  subject 
to  check  are : 

1.  Your  money  is  safe. 

2.  It  gives  you  ready  money  without  the  dan- 
ger of  loss. 

30 


OPENING  A  BANK  ACCOUNT 


3.  You  can  pay  your  bills  by  check,  which  is 
the  better  way,  as  the  check  in  itself  is  a  receipt. 

4.  It  assists  in  establishing  your  credit. 

5.  Acquaintance  with  bank  officials  is  always 
advantageous.  They  are  the  most  acceptable  of 
references. 

Savings  bank  deposits  are  not  subject  to  check, 
and  cannot  be  used  for  the  payment  of  bills. 
Some  savings  banks  require  a  notice  of  with- 
drawal, although  the  majority  of  banks  waive 
this  right. 

The  savings  bank  is  for  the  laying  away  of 
money,  while  the  national  bank  and  trust  com- 
pany should  be  used  as  a  convenience. 

Most  national  banks  and  trust  companies  will 
open  an  account  for  a  sum  as  low  as  two  or  three 
hundred  dollars,  and  some  will  accept  even  a 
hundred  dollars. 

Many  a  man  is  known  by  his  bank. 


31 


THE  LOAFER  ON  THE  DOCK 

THE  ship  never  comes  in  to  the  loafer  on  the 
dock. 

I  have  asked  thousands  of  men  what  one  thing 
seemed  to  them  to  contribute  most  to  failure,  and 
while  there  appeared  to  be  an  unimportant  dif- 
ference of  opinion,  practically  all  of  these  men  of 
mark  were  certain  that  laziness  and  loafing  had 
more  to  do  with  lack  of  success  than  had  any- 
thing else. 

It  is  true  that  ability  counts  and  that  a  man 
without  it  cannot  hope  successfully  to  navigate 
any  channel.  Fortunately,  however,  none  of  us 
is  without  some  ability. 

I  admit  at  the  outset  that  men  with  only  ordi- 
nary capacity  cannot  hope  to  occupy  the  positions 
held  by  those  of  enormous  ability,  and  that  it  is 
useless  for  the  mediocre  man  to  attempt  to  force 
himself  outside  of  the  regular  roads  of  life.  Yet 
ability,  no  matter  how  great  may  be  its  magni- 
tude, is  worthless  unless  it  is  coupled  with  ac- 
tivity and  has  ambition  as  the  guiding  star. 

The  man  of  ordinary  capacity  who  is  willing 
to  work,  and  who  gets  out  of  himself  all  of  which 

32 


THE  LOAFER  ON  THE  DOCK 


he  is  capable,  will  stand  higher  in  any  community 
than  will  he  of  greater  ability  who  is  too  lazy  to 
use  what  he  could  not  help  possessing. 

The  loafer  is  not  on  good  terms  with  himself 
or  with  the  world.  He  is  predestined  to  disaster, 
a  menace  to  society. 

I  am  not  suggesting  that  you,  my  reader,  work 
incessantly  and  forget  to  play,  for  recreation  is 
as  necessary  to  the  rounding  out  of  a  man  as  is 
attention  to  the  major  duties. 

Loafing  is  not  resting.  The  loafer,  while  he 
is  loafing,  contributes  nothing  to  his  bodily  health 
or  to  his  mental  activity.  He  is  no  better  than 
a  hibernating  animal;  no,  not  as  good,  because 
the  animal  goes  into  winter  quarters  that  he  may 
conserve  his  strength  and  that  he  may  be  pre- 
pared to  live  when  his  season  opens. 

In  every  city,  in  every  town,  and  in  every  vil- 
lage, hundreds  and  thousands  of  men  are  loafing 
on  the  sidewalks,  leaning  up  against  the  build- 
ings, seldom  thinking,  often  silent,  just  occupy- 
ing so  much  space.  They  are  not  as  efficient  as 
the  hitching-post,  because  the  latter,  inanimate 
though  it  is,  has  its  use  in  the  world. 

Nothing  comes  to  the  loafer,  and  if  it  did  come, 
he  would  not  seize  it.  He  would  be  better  off, 
and  so  would  the  world,  if  he  were  placed  upon 

33 


THE  LOAFER  ON  THE  DOCK 


a  scavenger  scow,  towed  out  into  the  broad  ocean, 
and  dumped  with  other  refuse  into  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 

Nothing  worth  doing,  whether  it  is  work  or 
play,  has  any  value  to  the  participant  unless  he 
enters  into  it  with  enthusiasm  and  allows  it  to 
contribute  to  his  betterment.  If  he  is  tired  men- 
tally or  physically,  he  should  rest,  but  he  need 
not  loaf.  Resting  is  one  of  the  necessities  of  his 
life,  and  resting  gives  him  enjoyment,  because  he 
knows  that  through  it  he  will  be  better  able  to 
take  up  his  work,  will  be  more  proficient  in  the 
doing  of  his  duty;  but  loafing,  pure  and  simple 
loafing,  doing  nothing  when  resting,  is  not  neces- 
sary, and,  when  there  is  work  to  be  done,  has 
nothing  to  recommend  it  and  everything  to  con- 
demn it. 

Nobody  wants  the  loafer.  He  does  not  know 
how  to  work,  and  when  he  does  work  his  work 
amounts  to  very  little.  He  is  a  drone,  altogether 
good  for  nothing,  who  furnishes  himself  with  the 
poorest  kind  of  society. 

Don't  loaf — rest!  Make  resting  a  legitimate 
part  of  your  life.  Play  when  you  play  and  put 
your  heart  into  it;  and  when  you  work,  work 
with  all  your  energy,  with  brain  and  body  har- 
moniously coupled  together,  each  doing  its  part, 

each  helping  the  other. 

34 


THE  NEWS  AND  THE  NEWS- 
PAPER 

WE  must  eat,  we  must  drink,  we  must  sleep, 
if  we  would  exist.  We  must  do  something 
besides  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping,  if  we 
would  live. 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between  merely  ex- 
isting and  living.  The  tadpole  exists,  but  he  does 
not  live  in  any  high  sense.  Man  must  do  more 
than  exist,  if  he  would  Hft  himself  above  the 
animal  state.  It  is  difficult  to  designate,  so  as 
to  be  universally  acceptable,  the  things  which 
are  of  fundamental  importance  from  those 
which  have  to  do  only  with  existence.  There  is 
much  which  affects  us  intellectually  and  morally, 
but  above  most  of  it  and  running  close  to  edu- 
cation itself  is  a  knowledge  of  what  is  happen- 
ing, as  well  as  of  what  has  happened. 

All  the  book  learning  in  the  world,  and  all  the 
academic  education  possible  for  one  to  absorb, 
are  of  little  value  unless  supplemented  by  a  famil- 
iarity with  what  is  going  on,  not  only  what  is 
taking  place  directly  about  us,  but  the  great  move- 
ments of  the  times. 

35 


THE  NEWS  AND  THE  NEWSPAPER 

History  deals  with  the  past.  News  deals  with 
the  present. 

I  consider  the  habitual  reading  of  a  good  new^s- 
paper  as  necessary  as  is  education  itself,  and 
second  only  to  those  things  without  which  we 
could  not  breathe  and  have  our  being. 

I  have  no  sympathy  with  those  who  condemn 
the  newspapers  because  they  occasionally — some 
of  them  frequently — misrepresent  or  refuse  to 
confine  themselves  to  facts.  The  newspaper  is 
not  perfect,  and  it  will  not  be  until  its  readers 
have  reached  that  state. 

The  publisher  of  the  newspaper,  as  he  runs,  is 
as  honest  as  is  the  average  business  man,  and 
more  so,  I  think,  because  his  position  gives  him 
better  opportunity  to  realize  his  responsibility  to 
his  constituency. 

The  editor,  of  course,  has  the  average  human 
faults,  but  he  is  a  man  of  more  than  common 
integrity,  and  intellectually  he  ranks  above 
the  majority  of  his  fellows.  He  makes  mis- 
takes. So  does  everybody  else.  He  over-empha- 
sizes his  news,  and  occasionally  allows  bias  to 
enter  his  editorials;  but,  take  him  as  a  whole, 
he  is  reliable,  trustworthy,  and  a  man  of 
integrity. 

Notwithstanding  the  mistakes  made  by  the 
36 


THE  NEWS  AND  THE  NEWSPAPER 

newspapers,  the  bulk  of  the  news  is  reliable  or  is 
as  true  as  human  endeavor  can  make  it. 

To  condemn  the  newspapers  because  some  of 
them  are  unreliable  is  as  foolish  as  to  refuse  to 
eat  bread  because  some  flour  is  sour. 

I  would,  if  I  could,  introduce  the  newspaper 
into  the  public  schools,  and  employ  specialists  to 
teach  the  proper  reading  of  it.  It  should  be  a 
part  of  the  curriculum  of  every  school  above  the 
lower  grades. 

The  news  is,  I  believe,  an  essential  part  of 
education.  Without  news  we  should  return  to 
the  age  of  feudalism,  and  each  set  of  people 
would  be  ignorant  of  the  affairs  of  others,  except 
of  those  within  the  immediate  environment. 

The  news  of  the  world  is  gathered  with  care. 
Most  of  it  is  written  honestly  by  men  who  are 
capable  of  discrimination  and  who  practise  it. 

Read  the  newspaper,  young  man,  and  young 
woman,  too.  If  you  do  not,  you  cannot  consider 
yourself  educated,  and  you  are  not  prepared  to 
play  the  game  of  conversation  or  to  hold  your 
own  among  the  men  and  women  who  think  and 
act,  and  to  whom  the  world  owes  its  progress. 


37 


'^IT'S  NICE  TO  GET  UP   IN  THE 
MORNING" 

SOME  of  my  readers  probably  have  listened  to 
the  songs  of  the  world-famous  Harry  Lauder, 
and  particularly  to  one,  the  chorus  of  which  be- 
gins :  ''It's  nice  to  get  up  in  the  morning,  but  it's 
nicer  to  lie  in  your  bed." 

Perhaps  it  is  "nicer  to  lie  in  your  bed" — nicer 
for  the  fellow  who  has  forgotten  about  yesterday, 
who  has  no  thought  for  to-day,  and  does  not 
know  that  there  is  to  be  any  to-morrow;  nicer 
for  the  man  who  is  no  good  to  himself,  no  good 
to  his  employer,  no  good  to  the  world;  nicer  for 
the  lazy  fellow,  the  indifferent,  the  kicker,  the 
fault-finder,  the  chap  who  does  not  realize  that 
the  most  important  personage  in  the  world  to 
him  is  he,  himself,  who  does  not  feel  that  all  the 
world,  or  rather,  all  his  world,  revolves  around 
his  personality,  and  that  he  has  a  place  which 
no  one  else  can  occupy  as  he  should  fill  it. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  every  failure  is  an 
over-sleeper,  but  I  never  knew  a  failure  who  did 
not  love  to  over-sleep. 

Half,  yes,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  more 
38 


"IT'S  NICE  TO  GET  UP  IN  THE  MORNING" 

than  half  the  men  and  women  who  work,  espe- 
cially those  who  take  suburban  trains  or  trolleys, 
remain  in  bed  until  the  last  moment,  throw  them- 
selves into  their  clothes,  swallow  their  break- 
fasts in  a  hurry,  run  to  the  car  or  station,  and 
enter  their  offices  physically  injured  and  men- 
tally tired.  They  do  this  when  they  would  have 
plenty  of  time  if  they  rose  fifteen  minutes  earlier. 
Any  attempt  on  your  part  to  make  up  for  late 
nights  by  late  mornings  is  going  to  work  to  your 
physical  and  mental  injury.  It  cannot  be  done 
with  impunity.  Go  to  bed  fifteen  minutes  earlier 
instead  of  getting  up  fifteen  minutes  later. 

Hard  work  does  not  hurt  anyone,  provided  he 
is  not  physically  incapacitated.  It  is  rush  and 
worry  which  undermine  the  mental  and  physical 
constitutions,  ^^'orking  steadily  is  not  likely  to 
be  injurious.    Rushing  is  sure  to  be. 

No  one  is  prepared  to  do  his  best  work  unless 
he  has  time  for  a  bath,  time  for  dressing,  time  for 
his  breakfast,  and  time  to  catch  his  train.  The 
majority  of  workers  enter  their  offices  and  fac- 
tories unfit  to  render  their  best  service  to  them- 
selves or  to  others. 

Of  course,  you  must  have  sufficient  sleep,  but 
don't  take  it  at  the  wrong  end  of  the  twenty-four 
hours.    Get  that  sleep  at  the  start.    Go  to  bed  a 

39 


"IT'S  NICE  TO  GET  UP  IN  THE  MORNING" 

little  earlier.  Don't  get  up  a  little  later.  Late 
morning  sleep  is  seldom  invigorating.  Sub-con- 
sciously you  know  that  you  will  have  to  rush  to 
make  connections.  It  is  troubed  sleep  at  best, 
while  sleep  at  the  start  is  restful. 

You  have  no  right  to  be  tired  at  the  beginning 
of  the  day.  If  you  are,  there  is  something  the 
matter  with  you.  You  should  enter  the  office  or 
the  factory  ready  to  work  and  wanting  to  work, 
refreshed  by  a  good  night's  sleep  and  supported 
by  a  leisurely  eaten  breakfast. 

Give  your  body  a  chance  by  giving  it  plenty 
of  sleep,  and  give  your  stomach  opportunity  to 
digest  your  food,  which  it  will  not  do  if  you  force 
it  into  you  or  rush  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  catch  a 
train. 


KEEPING  STRAIGHT 

THE  apparent,  if  not  real,  worldly  success  of 
dissipated  men,  and  of  those  who  voluntarily 
injure  their  bodies  and  minds  by  one  or  several 
forms  of  dissipation,  should  not  be  considered  as 
an  excuse  for  leading  any  but  a  normal  and 
moral  life. 

Not  one  of  these  dissipated  successes  owes  any 
part  of  his  achievements  to  loose  living,  and  all 
of  them  would  have  done  better  financially,  as 
well  as  in  other  ways,  if  their  personal  habits  had 
been  exemplary. 

Every  form  of  dissipation,  and  every  small  and 
large  vice,  are  maintained  at  a  definite  and  posi- 
tive cost,  dwarfing  the  activity  of  the  brain  and 
interfering  with  the  normal  action  of  every  phys- 
ical function. 

It  is  true  that  some  men  seem  to  be  able  to 
go  to  almost  any  excess  and  maintain  their  equi- 
librium. Mark  the  word  **seem,"  for  no  one  can 
practise  any  vice  with  impunity.  Sooner  or  later 
he  will  pay  the  penalty. 

Any  excess,  whether  it  be  a  vice  or  too  strenu- 
ous exercise,  is  maintained  at  the  cost  of  body 

41 


KEEPING  STRAIGHT 


and  brain.  One  of  the  greatest  of  the  world's 
physical  directors  told  me  recently  that  com- 
paratively few  athletes  do  not  suffer  from  over- 
training, although  many  of  them  do  not  realize 
that  they  have  injured  themselves  until  after  they 
have  passed  middle  life.  Dissipation,  of  course, 
is  far  more  disastrous  than  undue  training. 

The  drunken  employer  has  no  respect  for  his 
kind.  He  despises  them  and  himself  in  his  sober 
moments.  Further,  he  will  not  keep  an  employee 
who  is  dissipated.  He  may  go  farther  and  de- 
mand personal  purity  on  the  part  of  those  who 
work  for  him. 

The  dishonest  merchant  will  not  retain  an  em- 
ployee who  is  not  as  honest  as  he,  the  employer, 
is  dishonest. 

The  habitual  smoker  is  suspicious  of  the  em- 
ployee who  is  seldom  seen  without  a  pipe  or  cigar 
in  his  mouth,  and  he  objects  to  more  than  a  very 
moderate  amount  of  smoking,  particularly  of 
cigarettes. 

Extravagance,  although  legal,  is  morally 
criminal,  and  there  is  nothing  which  prejudices 
an  employer  more  against  his  employees  than  ex- 
travagance on  their  part,  even  though  it  may  be 
confined  to  little  things. 

Late  dinners,  too  frequent  attendance  at  the 
42 


KEEPING  STRAIGHT 


theatre,  several  dances  a  week,  and  everything 
else  which  keeps  one  up  at  night  and  over-strains 
the  body  or  the  mind,  contribute  toward  probable 
downfall. 

Stripping  the  moral  side  from  the  question,  it 
pays,  and  pays  financially,  to  live  straight  and  to 
refuse  to  allow  either  the  body  or  the  mind  to  be 
affected,  dwarf  ted,  or  injured  by  any  form  of 
dissipation. 

Good  personal  habits  are  assets  in  business,  en- 
courage promotion,  and  stand  for  ultimate  suc- 
cess. 

While  doing  right  for  the  sake  of  being  right 
should  be  the  principal  motive  governing  our 
conduct,  nothing  is  more  foolish  or  wrong  than 
deliberately  and  voluntarily  to  injure  the  body, 
and  consequently  the  mind,  by  any  excess,  by 
any  form  of  dissipation,  or  by  anything  for  which 
Nature  has  an  abhorrence. 

Improper  food,  lack  of  sleep  and  of  ventila- 
tion, and  insufficient  exercise  will  wreck  the  body 
almost  as  rapidly  as  will  excessive  drinking. 

If  you  don't  take  care  of  yourself,  if  you  don't 
live  straight,  you  will  pay  the  penalty  in  business 
and  out  of  it. 

Nature  never  forgives  or  forgets,  and  never 
pardons  anyone  who  breaks  her  laws. 

43 


SOMETHING  FOR  NOTHING 

HE  who  tries  to  get  something  for  nothing  is 
as  foolish  as  is  he  who  attempts  to  dis- 
cover the  secret  of  perpetual  motion. 

There  can  be  no  effect  without  a  cause.  Effect 
is  dependent  upon  cause.  xA.ssuming  that  you  can 
get  something  for  nothing,  that  which  you  get 
for  nothing  is  worth  what  you  have  paid  for  it — 
nothing. 

Everything  worth  while  is  produced  by  some 
sort  of  effort,  by  somebody,  somewhere.  If  you 
have  something  which  you  did  not  pay  for,  either 
in  money  or  in  effort,  you  have  stolen  goods,  and 
even  stolen  goods  are  not  something  for  nothing, 
because  you  contributed  an  effort  to  get  them, 
and  the  risk  involved  may  be  considered  theoreti- 
cally as  a  purchase  price. 

Probably  more  than  half  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  world  have  striven,  and  are  striving,  to  ob- 
tain something  for  nothing,  to  realize  a  result 
unpreceded  by  effort. 

If  you  are  receiving,  say,  ten  dollars  a  week, 
and  are  promoted  to  a  fifteen-dollar  position,  you 
do  not  hold  that  place  unless  you  do  fifteen  dol- 

44 


SOMETHING  FOR  NOTHING 


lars'  worth  of  work.  Undeserved  promotion  is 
more  disastrous  to  the  one  who  is  promoted  than 
is  no  promotion  at  all.  You  are  more  of  a  man 
and  stand  a  better  chance  of  succeeding  even- 
tually if  you  receive  ten  dollars  a  week  and  earn 
more  than  ten  dollars  a  week,  than  if  you  receive 
fifteen  dollars  a  week  and  earn  less  than  fifteen 
a  week. 

Reciprocity  is  a  fundamental  principle  of  life 
and  of  business.  Without  it  nothing  exists  per- 
manently, assuming  that  it  may  exist  transiently. 

You  must  ^'deliver  the  goods,"  so  to  speak,  be- 
fore you  can  be  paid  for  what  you  deliver,  and  if 
you  deliver  less  than  the  contract  calls  for,  you 
will  go  out  of  business. 

The  swindler  never  lasts.  He  does  not  suc- 
ceed, except  in  a  very  transient  way  during  the 
little  time  he  is  out  of  jail.  He  does  not  build 
for  himself  any  reputation  which  is  negotiable 
in  any  market.    As  a  thief  he  is  a  failure. 

Do  not  attempt  to  get  more  than  you  are  worth. 
Do  not  try  to  get  what  you  are  worth  until  you 
have  proven  that  you  are  worth  more  than  you 
are  getting.  The  successful  salesman  realizes 
that,  to  succeed,  he  must  ask  and  receive  what  his 
goods  are  worth  to  him  and  what  his  goods  are 
worth  to  the  buyer  of  them.    If  both  parties  to 

45 


SOMETHING  FOR  NOTHING 


the  transaction  do  not  make  something  out  of  it, 
it  is  not  a  sale  worth  while  and  does  not  stand 
for  permanent  business. 

You,  as  an  employee,  whether  you  sell  goods  or 
keep  books,  are  a  commodity,  and  you  cannot 
sell  yourself,  your  experience,  or  your  ability  for 
more  than  they  are  worth,  except  to  fools,  and 
fools  are  never  permanent  customers. 

Don't  try  to  get  something  for  nothing.  You 
can't  do  it,  unless  you  steal,  and  even  then  you 
don't  get  something  for  nothing,  for  you  pay  for 
what  you  get  in  loss  of  reputation  or  by  punish- 
ment. 

Don't  try  to  sell  what  you  don't  possess.  Don't 
demand  a  price  for  yourself  more  than  you  are 
worth. 

Success  depends  upon  selling  what  you  are 
and  what  you  have  for  an  adequate  price.  If  you 
get  less,  you  are  a  poor  salesman.  If  you  get 
more,  you  are  a  fool. 


46 


BE  DECISIVE 

IF  you  are  right,  and  if  you  know  that  you  are 
right  and  can  prove  it,  don't  compromise,  don't 
quibble. 

The  world  is  full  of  not-sure  and  don't-care 
people,  who  are  afraid  of  themselves  and  of 
everybody  else. 

I  am  not  asking  you  to  be  disagreeably  inde- 
pendent and  to  force  your  opinions  upon  others, 
even  when  you  are  right,  for  the  practice  of  di- 
plomacy is  to  be  commended.  There  is,  however, 
a  vast  difference  between  habitually  setting 
yourself  aside,  agreeing  with  the  opposite 
party,  and  maintaining  honest  and  manly  inde- 
pendence. 

When  you  are  asked  a  question,  be  prepared, 
if  possible,  to  answer  "yes"  or  ''no,"  and  not  "I 
think  so." 

If  your  employer  is  successful,  he  is  definite 
and  positive;  and,  while  he  will  not  tolerate  un- 
due interference  on  the  part  of  an  employee,  he 
admires  the  man  who  knows  and  who  isn't  afraid 
to  say  that  he  knows. 

Of  course,  at  times  you  can't  be  either  positive 
47 


BE  DECISIVE 


or  definite;  but,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  you  can 
stand  for  or  against  a  thing  and  be  sure  that  you 
either  can  or  can't  do  a  thing. 

Your  employer  may  ask  you  to  perform  a  cer- 
tain task,  and  he  may  ask  you  how  long  it  will 
take  you.  It  is  better  to  say — if  you  are  sure 
of  yourself — "I  will  have  it  done  at  two  o'clock" 
than  to  remark,  "I'll  try  to  get  it  finished  at  two 
o'clock."  If  you  are  not  sure,  however,  set  the 
time  ahead,  giving  yourself  plenty  of  allowance. 
Say  to  your  employer,  "I  will  have  it  done  at  four 
o'clock."  Then,  if  you  finish  it  at  two,  so  much 
the  better. 

It  is  a  part  of  your  duty  to  understand  your- 
self and  your  capacity. 

The  better  you  know  yourself,  the  better  off 
you  will  be. 

Realize,  if  you  can,  your  ability  and  your  limi- 
tations, and  keep  within  the  prescribed  lines. 

Try  to  know,  rather  than  to  think. 

When  you  are  sure,  say  so  emphatically.  Don't 
compromise  and  don't  quibble  about  it.  By  tak- 
ing this  stand  you  will  create  a  reputation  for 
yourself,  and  people  will  depend  upon  you,  pro- 
vided, of  course,  that  you  *'make  good." 

If  you  are  sure  of  yourself,  you  will  make 
others  sure  of  you. 

48 


BE  DECISIVE 


Have  definite  ideas  about  life  and  things  in 
general. 

Don't  straddle  the  fence. 

Take  a  stand  and  stick  to  it,  provided  you  are 
not  "pig-headed"  and  are  open  to  conviction. 

When  you  are  sure,  however,  don't  be  afraid 
to  say  so.  When  you  are  not  sure,  admit  it  like 
a  man. 

Don't  be  known  as  a  "namby-pamby,"  and 
don't  cultivate  morbid  modesty. 

Don't  change  your  opinions  with  the  wind. 

If  you  know  that  you  are  right,  maintain  your 
position  until  evidence  is  presented  that  you  are 
wrong. 

Positive  men  succeed,  even  though  they  are 
wrong  at  times. 

You  can't  be  right  always. 

Don't  fall  into  the  error  of  feeling  that  you 
can  make  friends  by  agreeing  with  everybody, 
but  don't  make  a  specialty  of  disagreeing. 

Friends  worth  while  have  backbone  and  appre- 
ciate it  in  others. 

Create  for  yourself  a  strong  foundation  and 
keep  off  the  shifting  sands. 


49 


BUSINESS  LOYALTY 

MY  shoes  needed  repairing.  I  took  them  to 
the  store  where  I  had  purchased  them  and 
handed  them  to  the  salesman  who  had  sold  me 
shoes  for  a  dozen  years  or  more.  He  was  very 
busy,  and  I  stopped  only  long  enough  to  inquire, 
*'When  can  I  have  them?" 

"Tuesday,  I  think,"  he  replied. 

I  called  on  that  day.  My  salesman  was  out. 
Addressing  a  young  man,  whose  hair  was  parted 
to  run  parallel  with  the  crack  in  his  brain,  and 
who  was  encouraging  a  flossy  growth  on  an  un- 
fertile lip,  I  said: 

"I  left  my  shoes  with  Mr.  Smith  a  few  days 
ago  to  be  repaired,  and  he  told  me  they  would 
probably  be  ready  to-day.  Can  you  get  them  for 
me?" 

The  salesman  was  courteous,  carrying  his  po- 
liteness into  almost  artificial  subservience.  He 
hunted  around  for  a  while,  was  unable  to  find  the 
shoes,  and  remarked:  "I'm  very  sorry,  but  Vm 
afraid  they  have  not  come  from  the  factory. 
Mr.  Smith  is  not  as  systematic  as  he  might  be, 
and  it  often  gives  us  quite  a  bit  of  trouble." 

50 


BUSINESS  LOYALTY 


Not  liking  his  tone  of  criticism,  I  replied : 

"Mr.  Smith  was  very  busy  when  I  left  the 
shoes  and  he  did  not  definitely  promise  them  for 
to-day.  In  a  hurry  he  said  he  thought  they 
would  be  ready." 

Mr.  Smith  is  the  senior  salesman,  and  is  slated 
for  a  partnership.  He  knows  his  business,  and 
personally  controls  hundreds  of  customers,  many 
of  whom  are  willing  to  wait  half  an  hour  or 
more  to  be  served  by  him.  Perhaps  he  is  not 
systematic.  No  one  possesses  all  the  virtues.  It 
did  not  behoove  this  young  junior  clerk  to  criti- 
cise his  superior,  or  any  of  his  other  fellow  sales- 
men, for  that  matter. 

Loyalty  to  one's  employer  is  not  enough.  It 
should  extend  to  every  employee.  They  should 
all  stand  together  for  the  credit  of  their  house 
and  for  their  own  advantage. 

Failure  to  do  this  is  not  only  wrong  morally, 
but  it  is  mighty  poor  business. 

Under  no  circumstances  should  an  employee 
criticise  his  fellow  clerks  in  the  presence  of  a 
customer.  He  should  rather  endeavor  to  cover 
up  their  mistakes,  if  they  make  them,  and  to 
satisfy  the  customer  by  his  courtesy  and  atten- 
tion, instead  of  placing  the  blame  upon  others, 
even  if  it  belongs  to  them. 

51 


BUSINESS  LOYALTY 


The  criticism  of  this  young  clerk  was  entirely 
unnecessary.  There  was  no  excuse  for  it,  view- 
ing it  from  any  standpoint.  He  was  simply 
"fresh,"  swelled  with  his  own  importance,  a  fool 
who  may  outgrow  his  folly. 

His  remarks,  as  well  as  his  manner,  although 
he  was  polite,  antagonized  me,  and  I  should  have 
taken  my  patronage  to  another  store  if  he  had 
been  the  only  salesman. 

Stand  together,  employees,  not  in  the  wrong, 
but  in  the  right.  Feel  that  your  value  is  depen- 
dent upon  that  of  others,  that  you  are  to  help 
them  if  you  would  have  them  help  you.  Be  chary 
of  criticism.  Before  finding  fault  with  others, 
stand  in  front  of  your  own  mirror,  and  be  sure 
that  your  criticisms  do  not  apply  to  yourself. 


52 


EDUCATION  FOR  DEVELOPMENT 

EDUCATION  may  be  divided  into  three  pri- 
mary divisions:  First,  a  school  training  in 
the  so-called  three  R's.  This  is  fundamental,  and 
without  it  further  education  is  impossible.  Sec- 
ondly, broad  or  liberal  education,  such  as  is  given 
in  our  high  schools,  colleges,  and  other  institu- 
tions of  learning  which  do  not  specifically  prepare 
one  for  his  vocation.  Thirdly,  education  directly 
bearing  upon  one's  selected  calling,  like  that  given 
by  the  medical,  law,  and  technical  schools. 

In  this  article  I  shall  confine  myself  to  the 
second  class,  that  of  education  which  stands  be- 
tween fundamental  and  vocational  training. 

Authorities  are  divided.  Some  over-practical 
men  claim  that  this  cultural  education  is  not 
necessary,  and  that  the  boy  should  jump  immedi- 
ately from  the  fundamentals  into  a  training 
which  would  directly  assist  him  in  the  work  of 
his  life;  other  educational  experts  strongly  advo- 
cate a  liberal  education,  like  that  given  in  our 
colleges,  asserting  that  it  will  broaden  the  mind 
and  fit  it  better  to  grasp  the  requirements  of 
the  future.    These  latter  authorities  do  not  ob- 

53 


EDUCATION  FOR  DEVELOPMENT 

ject  to  the  technical  education,  but  they  would 
have  the  young  man  ground  himself  in  general 
culture,  if  I  may  put  it  that  way,  before  he  ob- 
tains a  vocational  training  or  during  the  time 
in  which  he  is  obtaining  it. 

Many  of  the  colleges  are  followng  out  this 
idea  and  adapting  their  curricula  to  it,  allowing 
the  student  to  study  general  subjects  while  he  is 
taking  up  one  or  more  directly  in  the  line  of  his 
future  work. 

It  has  been  said  that  one  cannot  be  too  broadly 
educated.  This  is  true,  provided  that  this  educa- 
tion can  be  obtained  without  too  great  a  sacrifice. 

If  a  boy  is  going  to  enter  a  business  where  he 
cannot  directly  use  the  classics  or  other  purely 
cultural  subjects,  and  if  he  cannot  obtain  a  knowl- 
edge of  them  except  at  enormous  sacrifice,  I  ad- 
vise him  to  forego  a  college  education;  but,  if  he 
is  in  a  position  to  become  liberally  educated,  ir- 
respective of  his  coming  calling,  I  suggest  for 
him  a  university  course,  or  any  other  form  of 
broad  education,  which  will  undoubtedly  better 
fit  his  mind  to  grasp  the  technique  of  his  trade. 

If,  however,  one  is  to  enter  a  profession,  this 
broad  education  will  be  of  direct  value  to 
him,  although  he  may  not  use  all  of  it.  His 
mind  then  becomes  his  working  tools,  and  it 

54 


EDUCATION  FOR  DEVELOPMENT 

should  be  trained  along  the  broadest  and  most 
liberal  lines,  a  training  which  is  not  as  necessary 
if  one  is  to  enter  business. 

It  is  the  man  more  than  the  education.  The 
education  at  best  can  only  assist  him  in  his  de- 
velopment. 

In  summing  up,  I  would  say :  Get  all  the  edu- 
cation you  can,  cultural  and  otherwise,  provided 
you  can  do  so  without  injury  to  your  health  or 
to  your  prospects.  If  you  are  so  situated  that 
you  cannot  well  afford  the  time,  because  it  is 
necessary  for  you  to  be  self-supporting  at  an 
early  age,  I  should  suggest  that  you  forego  some 
of  this  education,  which  otherwise  I  should  ad- 
vise you  to  obtain. 

When  in  doubt,  get  more  education  than  you 
think  you  need,  rather  than  less.  It  is  simply  a 
question  of  whether  you  can  afford  to  pay  the 
price. 


55 


AN  OUTSIDE  INTEREST 

MEN  of  mark,  in  business  and  in  the  profes- 
sions, and  practically  everybody  who 
amounts  to  anything,  are  interested  in  something 
which  does  not  directly  contribute  toward  their 
livelihood,  and  is  not  a  part  of  the  routine  of 
their  daily  life,  which  does  not  require  an  expend- 
iture of  mental  or  physical  energy. 

These  men  have  some  form  of  play  or  diver- 
sion, something  which  assists  them  to  relax  and 
to  forget  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  their 
work.  It  may  be  baseball,  tennis,  yachting,  or  any 
other  sport;  or  they  may  enjoy  a  game  of  whist 
or  of  checkers.  Perhaps  they  are  inveterate 
walkers,  and  spend  a  few  hours  a  week  in  the 
woods  away  from  the  noise  and  from  business. 
Unless  they  have  some  form  of  diversion, 
whether  or  not  it  is  physical  exercise,  they  are 
not  well  equipped  to  handle  the  responsibilities 
of  Hfe. 

It  makes  little  difference  what  this  form  of 
recreation  is,  provided  it  is  helpful  and  does  not 
strain  the  mind  or  the  body.  It  is,  however,  es- 
sential that  one  enjoy  his  play  hours. 

56 


AN  OUTSIDE  INTEREST 


If  one  has  no  Interest  in  anything  outside  of 
his  business,  or  beyond  his  regular  duties,  his 
work  palls  upon  him,  becomes  hard,  and  is  likely 
to  make  him  morose  and  irritable. 

It  is  true  that  a  few  men  appear  to  be  able 
successfully  to  devote  their  entire  time  to  their 
work  and  to  think  of  nothing  else,  but  these  men 
are  exceptions,  and  not  one  of  them  accomplishes 
as  much  during  his  working  time  as  he  would  if 
he  systematically  took  up  some  form  of  play. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  most  intellectual  men, 
and  the  most  strenuous  financial  workers,  can 
and  do  let  down  the  bars  and  play  and  gambol 
like  boys  more  than  can  the  mediocre  men,  who, 
perhaps,  look  upon  diversion  as  unnecessary  and 
unmanly.  It  would  open  the  eyes  of  many  of  my 
readers  if  they  could  see  our  great  educators,  our 
leading  bankers,  and  our  business  giants  at  a 
picnic.  Many  of  them,  in  their  play,  double  dis- 
count the  youngster.  They  get  down  to  earth 
and  actually  scratch  gravel.  They  joke  with  one 
another  without  license.  They  have  more  fun, 
real  good  fun,  to  the  square  inch  than  men  of 
less  capacity  get  to  the  square  foot.  When  they 
play,  they  play  all  over.  They  enjoy  it.  They 
enter  the  field  with  the  enthusiasm  of  youth,  no 
matter  what  their  age  may  be.    They  forget  busi- 

57 


AN  OUTSIDE  INTEREST 


ness,  forget  the  cares  of  life,  and  play  a  game  of 
scrub  ball  as  though  their  lives  depended  upon 
a  prizeless  victory. 

Thousands  of  men  are  now  making  their  lunch 
hour  a  period  of  relaxation.  They  get  together, 
and  positively  refuse  to  talk  or  think  business. 
They  joke  and  laugh  at  non-essentials,  banter 
with  one  another,  and  even  fight  in  fun. 

When  diversion  and  play  are  carried  beyond 
reasonable  bounds,  one  becomes  a  faddist  or  a 
fan,  and  loses  interest  in  his  work. 

Like  all  other  good  things,  diversion  can  in- 
jure as  well  as  assist. 

Play,  to  be  good  for  anything,  while  it  may  be 
somewhat  strenuous,  should  not  be  taken  seri- 
ously. It  should  allow  the  mind  to  relax.  If  it 
does  not,  it  is  not  play.  If  it  is  too  strenuous 
physically,  like  football,  or  too  deep  intellectually, 
like  chess,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  beneficial.  To  get 
good  out  of  diversion,  to  enjoy  thoroughly  any 
form  of  play,  one  must  let  himself  loose,  forget 
for  the  time  the  whirl  of  the  world,  and  put  him- 
self into  the  attitude  of  the  child  who  plays  with 
dolls  and  blocks. 

Let  me  speak  a  word  of  warning:  Thousands 
of  men  combine  dissipation,  usually  drinking, 
with  their  recreation,  and  thereby  lose  all  the 

58 


AN  OUTSIDE  INTEREST 


good  of  their  play.  Many  of  them  never  get  out- 
doors, but  play  indoors.  Well  and  good,  at 
times;  but  outdoor  exercise  is  worth  twice  as 
much  as  indoor  action. 

Most  business  is  done  indoors.     Most  play 
should  be  outdoors. 


59 


TACT 

I  AM  not  suggesting  that  you  shelve  your  inde- 
pendence, that  you  say  "no"  when  you  mean 
"yes/'  "yes"  when  you  mean  "no."  I  am  not 
advocating  subservience  to  all  things  and  to  all 
men.  I  have  no  patience  with  the  man  who  has 
not  a  mind  of  his  own  or  who  is  too  cowardly 
to  express  it. 

There  is  no  place  in  this  world  of  ours  for  the 
fellow  whose  mind  is  located  outside  of  his  head, 
and  who  is  controlled  by  others.  Individuality  is 
impossible  without  independence,  but  there  is  a 
vast  difference  between  carrying  a  personal  chip 
on  one's  shoulder,  daring  people  to  knock  it  off, 
and  legitimate  diplomacy  or  what  is  commonly 
called  tact. 

Remember  that  all  people  do  not  think  as  you 
do,  and  it's  a  mighty  lucky  thing  for  them  and 
for  you  that  there  is  a  difference  of  opinion. 

You  have  a  right  to  your  opinions,  but,  unless 
it  is  a  question  of  honesty,  of  morality,  of  right 
and  wrong,  I  should  not  advise  you  forever  to 
flaunt  those  ideas  and  conclusions  in  the  faces  of 

60 


TACT 

Others  and  to  antagonize  your  friends,  acquaint- 
ances, and  business  associates. 

When  it  is  merely  a  matter  of  opinion,  when 
you  are  as  likely  to  be  wrong  as  to  be  right,  when 
others  are  justified  in  differing  from  you,  it 
would  be  well  for  you  to  remember  that  what 
you  think  is  not  necessarily  right  or  best,  and  that 
what  others  think  is  as  likely  to  be  true  as  any- 
thing which  you  may  evolve  from  your  own  in- 
dividual mind. 

You  should  use  tact,  not  antagonize  your  fel- 
lows, take  as  well  as  give,  and  be  as  willing  to  be 
convinced  that  you  are  wrong  as  you  are  to  make 
others  believe  that  you  are  right. 

Tact  is  a  business  commodity,  and  the  right 
kind  of  tact  is  not  dishonesty. 

There  is  no  use  in  forcing  your  opinion  upon 
others,  unless  what  you  think  is  so  thoroughly 
grounded  in  the  right  that  you  can  feel  sure  that 
others  as  well  as  you  will  be  benefited  by  it. 

Ninety  per  cent,  of  antagonism,  ninety  per 
cent,  of  the  remarks  which  cut  and  wound,  are 
not  because  of  right  or  wrong,  but  because  of 
conceit,  of  an  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  many 
to  realize  that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  use  a  dol- 
lar's worth  of  powder  to  bring  down  a  cent's 
worth  of  game. 

6i 


TACT 

Every  day  things  occur  in  the  office  which  are 
of  no  vital  consequence,  which  are  not  questions 
of  right  and  wrong.  You  can  tactfully  meet 
them,  or  you  can  antagonize  your  fellows. 

Be  tactful  and  courteous.  Tact  backed  by 
courage  wins  on  every  field  of  strife.  Tact  with- 
out courage,  tact  without  a  willingness  to  stand 
your  ground  when  it  is  worth  while  to  do  so,  is 
not  independence;  it  is  sheer  foolishness. 

Use  your  shoulders,  not  for  the  carrying  of 
chips,  but  for  a  burden  worthy  of  your  strength. 


62 


EMERGENCIES 

A  YOUNG  woman  recently  obtained  a  posi- 
tion as  private  secretary  to  the  president  of 
a  shoe  company.  She  was  often  left  alone  in  the 
office,  and,  unfortunately,  her  employer  could  not 
always  be  located  by  telegraph  or  telephone.  She 
lived  in  the  suburbs  and  overheard  while  on  the 
train  one  morning  that  a  serious  accident  had  oc- 
curred on  the  railroad  running  from  the  town 
where  the  shoe  factory  was  located  to  the  city 
where  her  office  was. 

On  reaching  the  office,  she  looked  up  the  ship- 
ping orders  and  discovered  that  a  carload  of 
shoes  had  been  shipped  from  the  factory  to  a 
large  retailer  and  that  they  might  have  been  on 
the  wrecked  train.  She  immediately  telephoned 
to  the  freight  office,  but  could  not  ascertain 
whether  or  not  the  car  in  question  was  a  part  of 
the  wreck.  Further  inquiry  indicated  that  def- 
inite information  could  be  had  at  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  She  then  telephoned  to 
the  proprietor  of  the  retail  shoe  store  and  in- 
formed him  of  the  circumstances.  She  discov- 
ered that  the  shoes  had  been  advertised  as  a  spe- 

63 


EMERGENCIES 

cial  sale  to  occur  on  the  following  day.  She  told 
the  proprietor  that  she  could  not  give  him  definite 
particulars  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  that 
she  would  telephone  the  factory  to  send  him  sev- 
eral cases  of  the  same  shoes  by  express,  which 
would  reach  him  early  on  the  following  morning. 

The  young  woman  took  this  action  of  her  own 
volition.  She  would  have  consulted  the  presi- 
dent or  some  other  superior  officer  had  that  been 
possible,  but,  unfortunately,  all  of  them  were 
away  on  that  day.  The  shoe  store  proprietor  was 
extremely  well  pleased  and  so  expressed  himself. 

She  had  met  an  emergency  without  compro- 
mising the  house  for  which  she  worked,  and  had 
Hterally  "made  good." 

It  is,  of  course,  impossible  for  me  or  for  any- 
one else  to  designate  with  any  degree  of  accuracy 
how  far  a  subordinate  should  assume  responsi- 
bility and  act  on  his  or  her  authority.  This  is  a 
matter  of  judgment.  Some  business  men  will 
not  permit  any  of  their  employees  to  assume  any 
authority,  but  the  majority  of  them  appreciate 
any  action  for  the  real  or  apparent  benefit  of  the 
house  on  the  part  of  an  employee,  provided  he 
uses  his  judgment  and  does  not  involve  the  con- 
cern in  any  heavy  expense. 

You  have  undoubtedly  read  much  about  fol- 
64 


EMERGENCIES 


lowing  orders,  have  heard  that  he  who  does  what 
he  is  told  to  do  has  accomplished  all  that  is  ex- 
pected of  him.  While  the  employee  should  not 
go  beyond  reasonable  bounds  and  issue  orders 
without  the  consent  of  his  employer,  initiative  is 
to  be  commended.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  who 
does  only  what  he  is  told  to  do,  who  follows 
without  variation  the  path  staked  out  for  him,  is 
not  likely  ever  to  travel  beyond  the  road  of  his 
present  environment.  He  will  remain  a  good 
clerk,  be  subject  to  a  moderate  raise  of  salary 
and  to  slight  promotion,  but  he  cannot  hope  to 
enter  business  for  himself  or  to  occupy  a  high 
position. 

There  is  always  opportunity  for  the  exercise 
of  judgment,  and  he  who  takes  the  initiative  be- 
comes a  marked  man,  sure  of  promotion  and 
certain  of  appreciation. 

The  trouble  with  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  em- 
ployees is  that  they  do  not  go  beyond  their  pre- 
scribed duties ;  they  take  interest  in  nothing  save 
that  which  they  are  told  to  do ;  they  become  auto- 
matic and  can,  naturally,  be  easily  replaced. 

No  matter  how  subordinate  your  position  may 
be,  there  will  be  times  when  you  can  act  of  your 
own  volition,  do  something  which  is  not  *'nomi- 
nated  in  the  bond,"  and  this  action  of  yours,  pro- 

6s 


EMERGENCIES 

vided  it  is  based  upon  good  judgment,  becomes 
a  definite  asset. 

Emergencies  cannot  be  anticipated;  they  are 
liable  to  occur  at  any  moment,  to  be  serious  or  of 
little  moment;  but  they  must  be  met,  and  met 
quickly.  The  meeting  of  emergencies  cannot  be 
postponed ;  they  must  be  attended  to  immediately. 
Here  judgment  plays  the  leading  role. 


(^ 


HOW  TO  GET  YOUR  PAY  RAISED 

YOU  have  a  right  to  look  forward  to  a  raise 
of  salary.  The  pay  envelope  represents  the 
result  of  your  labor.  If  you  are  worth  more,  you 
should  receive  more. 

Several  conditions  govern  increase  of  wages 
and  salary :  first,  you  must  be  worth  more  to  get 
more ;  secondly,  you  must  convince  your  employer 
that  you  are  worth  more ;  thirdly,  your  employer 
must  be  in  a  position  to  pay  you  more,  that  is, 
the  business  must  warrant  an  increased  expendi- 
ture. If  it  does  not,  the  fact  that  you  are  worth 
more  to  yourself  cannot  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion by  the  man  who  employs  you. 

How  should  you  proceed  in  order  to  get  more 
pay?  In  the  majority  of  cases  the  responsibility 
is  upon  you.  Most  employers  can  and  will  raise 
your  salary  if  you  are  worth  more  to  them.  If 
you  are  reasonably  sure  that  the  business  will 
warrant  an  increase  of  pay,  you  should  go  into 
an  executive  session  with  yourself,  analyze  your- 
self, spread  yourself  before  yourself,  that  you 
may  be  certain,  or  reasonably  so,  that  you  are 
worth  more  to  the  house  employing  you.    Unless 

67 


HOW  TO  GET  YOUR  PAY  RAISED 

you  can  assure  yourself  of  this,  do  not  make  ap- 
plication for  an  increase  of  salary.  It  is  better 
to  tarry  than  to  be  premature,  better  to  wait  than 
to  ask  for  more  pay  when  you  are  not  entitled 
to  it,  or  when  business  conditions  are  against  you. 

A  good  employer  may  raise  your  salary,  if 
conditions  are  right,  without  solicitation  on  your 
part,  but  occasionally  he  will  not  realize  that  you 
are  worth  more.  In  that  case,  you  have  a  right 
to  go  to  him,  to  place  your  case  fairly  before 
him,  asking  for  his  advice,  rather  than  demand- 
ing more  money.  Talk  the  matter  over  with  him, 
as  you  would  with  a  friend.  If  he  is  the  right 
kind  of  a  man,  and  you  are  the  right  kind  of  an 
employee,  you  will  get  more  pay  if  business  will 
allow. 

Remember  that  faithful  service  alone  does  not 
encourage  more  than  a  slight  raise  of  salary.  To 
deserve  promotion,  and  to  receive  more  than  a 
few  additional  dollars  a  week,  it  is  necessary  for 
you  to  do  something  beyond  your  prescribed 
duties,  to  prove  that  you  think  for  yourself,  act 
for  yourself,  and  are  ever  anxious  to  render  more 
than  ordinarily  efficient  service. 

The  employee  who  does  only  his  duty  remains 
where  he  is,  with  an  occasional  slight  raise  of 
salary.     The  employee  who  is  ever  alert,  who 

68 


HOW  TO  GET  YOUR  PAY  RAISED 

reaches  out  beyond  his  position  in  order  that  he 
may  do  something  which  is  not  required  of  him, 
who  studies  his  business  and  makes  himself  valu- 
able by  doing  many  little  things  which  are  not 
expected  of  him,  is  sure  of  promotion.  At  the 
time,  the  little  things  may  seem  to  you  of  slight 
importance,  hardly  worth  noticing  yourself,  and 
not  big  enough  to  attract  the  eye  of  your  em- 
ployer. But  do  them.  They  will  make  you  bet- 
ter able  to  handle  the  great  things,  and  your  em- 
ployer sees  many  things  when  you  think  his  eyes 
are  closed. 

Doing,  not  what  we  have  to  do,  but  what  we 
don't  have  to  do,  is  responsible  for  nine-tenths 
of  progress. 


69 


INTERFERING   RELATIVES   AND 
FRIENDS 

YOU  are  a  bookkeeper,  a  stenographer,  or  a 
clerk.  You  are  working  in  an  office  or  in  a 
counting-room.  Your  employer  probably  is  a 
gentleman  and  has  not  instituted  stringent  rules 
for  your  conduct.  He  expects  you  to  do  your 
duty.  He  does  not  object  to  conversations  with 
your  fellows,  or  to  any  other  diversion  which 
does  not  interfere  with  your  work. 

Perhaps  you  have  a  number  of  relatives  and 
friends,  many  of  them  with  a  social  instinct. 
They  drop  in  to  see  you  during  business  hours, 
or  they  call  for  you  at  the  close  of  the  day's 
work.  Very  likely  they  telephone  you  occa- 
sionally or  frequently. 

Your  employer  does  not  object  to  a  reasonable 
amount  of  this.  You  are  not  in  jail,  subject  to 
ironclad  rules  and  regulations,  and  you  are  en- 
titled to  any  departure  from  business  which  does 
not  handicap  your  effectiveness  or  interfere  with 
that  of  others. 

The  good  business  man,  or  anyone  else,  who 
70 


INTERFERING  RELATIVES  AND  FRIENDS 

maintains  an  office  and  has  working  hours, 
dreads  interruptions  and  does  away  with  as  many 
of  them  as  possibility  permits. 

A  social  call  while  you  are  busy  cannot  do 
other  than  interrupt  your  work  and  be  of  detri- 
ment to  you  and  to  your  employer.  It  is  not 
easy  to  get  back  after  being  taken  away  from 
your  labors. 

I  know  of  a  case  where  a  young  man  was  not 
promoted  wholly  because  his  wife  called  upon 
him  daily  and  often  remained  for  an  hour. 

You  are  busy  with  a  column  of  figures.  The 
telephone  bell  rings  and  you  are  called  to  the 
'phone.  Your  work  is  interrupted,  to  your  in- 
jury and  to  that  of  your  firm. 

You  are  engaged  upon  something  of  impor- 
tance, something  which  must  be  done  within  a 
specified  time,  A  relative  or  friend  calls.  You 
are  taken  from  your  work  and  are  obliged  to 
rush  if  you  would  accomplish  it  on  time. 

I  recall  several  instances  where  an  applicant 
for  a  position  was  refused  the  place  because  he 
was  accompanied  by  a  meddlesome  relative. 

If  you  are  so  weak,  so  reticent,  so  abnormally 
modest,  that  you  cannot  stand  before  your 
would-be  employer  in  applying  for  a  position 
without    being    accompanied    by    a    relative    or 

71 


INTERFERING  RELATIVES  AND  FRIENDS 

friend,  you  are  not  built  of  the  stuff  which  busi- 
ness men  demand. 

Your  employer  engages  you,  not  your  rela- 
tives, and  not  your  friends. 

Keep  your  relatives  and  your  friends  away 
from  the  office  during  business  hours,  except 
when  they  call  upon  matters  of  importance  or 
only  occasionally. 

If  you  have  a  meddlesome  friend,  who  does 
not  know  enough  to  respect  your  office,  tell  him 
gently  but  firmly  that  you  are  not  free  to  see 
visitors  from  nine  to  five. 

Separate  your  business  from  your  social 
duties.  Work  while  you  work  and  play  while 
you  play.  Avoid  interruptions  of  every  kind. 
They  stand  between  you  and  success,  between 
you  and  full  accomplishment. 

Your  parents  should  be  interested  in  you,  and 
so  should  your  friends,  but  they  have  no  right  to 
interfere  with  your  working  time,  to  annoy  you 
by  frequent  visits,  or  to  call  you  to  the  telephone 
unless  there  is  an  urgent  message. 

If  you  arrange  to  have  a  friend  call  to  walk 
home  with  you,  suggest  that  he  do  not  put  in  an 
appearance  until  the  closing  hour.  You  cannot 
work  steadily,  you  cannot  do  your  best  work, 
with  somebody  in  the  anteroom  or  by  your  side 

12 


INTERFERING  RELATIVES  AND  FRIENDS 

fidgeting  because  you  are  busy.    Better  meet  the 
friend  outside  of  the  office. 

Don't  try  to  mix  social  Hfe  with  business  life. 
They  are  of  different  composition  and  they  cannot 
blend  or  mingle  to  advantage;  certainly  not  to 
your  advantage. 


73 


DON'T  GROW  OLD 

AGE  is  relative.  Many  a  man  of  sixty  is 
younger  in  body  and  fresher  in  mind  than 
are  others  who  have  hardly  passed  one  score  and 
ten. 

Physically,  a  man  is  said  to  be  as  old  as  his 
arteries.  Mentally,  he  is  as  young  as  he  wants  to 
be. 

While  we  cannot  block  the  progress  of  the 
years,  we  may  continue,  if  we  will,  to  be  young 
until  the  final  summons. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  greatest  work  accomplished 
has  been  done  by  those  between  fifty  and  sixty, 
and  that  the  second  period  of  result  occurs  be- 
tween sixty  and  seventy,  the  third  between  forty 
and  fifty.  If  the  height  of  intellectual  power 
and  activity  is  not  reached  until  one  has  passed 
the  half -hundred  mark,  it  would  seem  to  be  ob- 
vious that  one  may  remain  young  in  mind,  young 
in  thought,  and  young  in  feelings  after  he  has 
reached  three  score  years  and  more. 

The  first  thirty,  forty,  and  fifty  years  of  life 
constitute  the  training  period.  After  them  come 
result,  and,  with  accomplishment,  a  happiness  and 

74 


DON'T  GROW  OLD 


satisfaction  which  it  is  impossible  for  one  to  real- 
ize while  a  pupil  in  the  School  of  the  World. 

Physically,  the  man  of  fifty  or  more  may  not 
be  able  to  run  a  road  race,  or  to  swim  across  a 
wide  river;  but,  if  his  mind  has  been  properly 
disciplined,  it  is  more  elastic,  more  athletic,  if  I 
may  put  it  that  way,  than  it  was  in  the  days  of 
youthful  physical  activity. 

You  may  not  be  able  always  to  control  the 
functions  of  the  body,  but  you  can,  if  you  will, 
be  master  of  your  mind.  Your  individuality, 
your  happiness,  are  in  your  head,  not  in  your 
legs  or  trunk.  You  are  what  your  mind  is,  and 
that  may  be  young,  no  matter  what  may  be  the 
age  of  your  body. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  men  of  great  in- 
tellect, men  of  high  accomplishment,  remain 
boys,  and  act  like  boys  part  of  the  time.  They 
can  even  play  a  game  of  marbles  with  their 
grandchildren  and  enjoy  it.  They  gambol  with 
their  minds,  even  if  their  bodies  are  too  stiff  to 
dance.  They  like  to  rove  about  in  the  fields  and 
woods,  perhaps  with  fish  line  and  bait  slung  over 
their  shoulders.  They  are  remembering  life  as 
boys  in  the  old  white  farmhouse,  when  their 
greatest  care  was  to  milk  the  one  cow  or  to  help 
the  men  toss  the  hay.    They  like  to  go  out  with 

75 


DON'T  GROW  OLD 


an  old  tin  pail,  and  when  they  return  with  stiff 
back  and  the  pail  full  of  big,  ripe  blue  berries 
they  feel  more  ''set  up"  than  if  they  had  that  day 
taken  Wall  Street  by  storm. 

Perhaps  they  may  prefer  to  visit  an  old  fishing 
village  and  talk  with  the  incoming  sailors,  or 
paddle  an  old  tub  across  the  shimmering  water. 
They  watch  a  big  wave  creep  toward  them,  and 
they  feel  a  thrill,  a  thrill  which  nothing  in  the 
city  will  cause,  as  they  ride  the  crest.  It  is  the 
boy  in  them,  come  to  life  again. 

Happy  the  man  who  has  not  forgotten  how  to 
be  a  boy!  He  is  young,  and  he  will  die  young, 
even  though  he  has  reached  several  scores  of 
years. 

Don't  grow  old,  for  you  don't  have  to. 


THE    INDIVIDUAL'S    STANDARD 

THERE  are  two  estates,  the  community  and 
the  individual.  The  latter  is  the  far  more 
important  of  the  two,  because  without  it  the  for- 
mer could  not  exist. 

Many  legislators,  and  others  equally  impracti- 
cal and  incompetent,  have  labored,  and  are  still 
laboring,  under  the  delusion  that  righteousness 
can  be  created  by  law  and  that  goodness  can  be 
legislated  into  a  community,  irrespective  of  the 
greatest  power  on  earth — public  opinion,  which 
will  not,  at  most,  more  than  automatically  abide 
by  the  statutes. 

Reformers  with  every  length  of  hair,  philan- 
thropists for  revenue  only,  and  that  lazy  brand  of 
goody-goodies  who  would  have  the  State  assume 
the  responsibility,  sit  in  their  easy  chairs  and  ex- 
pect the  law,  and  those  who  are  supposed  to  ex- 
ecute it,  to  produce  purity  out  of  impurity  and 
civilization  out  of  chaos. 

The  law  and  the  law-makers  have  their  places, 
but  neither  legislation  nor  legislator  can  accom- 
plish anything  unless  backed  by  public  opinion. 

17 


THE  INDIVIDUAL'S  STANDARD 

Politicians,  good  and  bad,  and  others  of  their 
kind,  in  ignorance  have  taught  the  people  to  de- 
pend upon  them ;  and  the  public,  always  ready  to 
shift  responsibility,  has  slumbered  while  its  rep- 
resentatives slept. 

The  individual  has  been  robbed  of  his  individu- 
ality and  has  considered  himself  altogether  too 
much  a  part  of  a  composite  mass,  accepting  the 
law  he  has  made  and  the  men  he  has  elected  to 
execute  it,  and  allowing  them  to  do  not  only  its 
duty  and  their  duty,  but  his  duty. 

Business,  which  plays  no  favorites  and  which 
recognizes  only  results,  begins  at  the  bottom  and 
works  up,  never  attempting  to  erect  a  top  with- 
out a  foundation.  It  demands  that  each  indi- 
vidual part  of  it  do  its  particular  work  as  though 
it  were  not  connected  with  the  whole.  It  has  no 
patience  with  the  loafer,  no  sympathy  for  the 
lazy,  and  sentences  them  both  to  hard  labor. 

We  never  shall  progress,  either  as  a  nation,  as 
a  State,  or  as  a  community,  until  each  individual 
member  realizes  his  responsibility  and  becomes 
more  efficient,  more  moral,  and  better,  by  him- 
self, irrespective  of  his  neighbors. 

God  has  endowed  each  of  us  with  an  individual 
conscience,  and  Nature  has  given  us  an  exclusive 
place  in  the  world.    This  conscience  is  responsible 

78 


THE  INDIVIDUAL'S  STANDARD 


first  to  itself,  and  the  place  occupied  cannot  be 
filled  by  any  other  as  Nature  intended  it  to  be. 

It  is  as  useless  to  attempt  to  legislate  good  into 
a  people  as  it  is  to  ask  a  river  to  run  uphill  or 
an  ocean  tide  to  cease  its  flow. 

If  all  the  reformers,  sincere  or  otherwise, 
would  bend  their  energies  toward  helping  the  in- 
dividual to  be  better,  to  realize  his  almost  omni- 
potent position,  then  the  individual  would,  indi- 
vidually more  than  collectively,  insist  upon  good 
government,  good  business,  and  good  conduct. 

Legislators,  and  those  who  execute  our  laws, 
will  never  be  uniformly  honest  or  anything  like 
effective  until  they  are  made  and  elected  by  indi- 
vidual character  and  not  by  composite  machinery. 

No  competent  engineer  ever  cares  for  his  en- 
gine as  a  whole.  He  recognizes  each  separate 
part  and  does  not  expect  efficiency  unless  every 
wheel  and  every  cog  is  by  itself  in  good  condi- 
tion. A  half-cleaned  machine  is  no  better  than 
an  all-dirty  one. 

There  is  no  one  great  world,  but  as  many  sepa- 
rate and  individual  worlds  as  there  are  inhabi- 
tants. Therefore  I  say  to  you,  reformer  or  not, 
clean  up  your  own  house  before  you  help  your 
neighbor  with  his  house-cleaning.  Don't  attempt 
to  purify  or  to  fumigate  the  firmament.    Clarify 

79 


THE  INDIVIDUAL'S  STANDARD 


each  part  of  it,  beginning  with  your  own  httle 
division  of  it. 

From  individual  goodnejss  springs  universal 
purity. 

There  is  no  other  way,  and  thank  God  for  it ; 
for,  if  we  could  be  made  good  as  a  whole,  we 
should  be  no  better  off  than  artificial  puppets 
pulled  by  the  string  of  a  godless  Nature. 


i 


So 


LETTING  UP 

BUSINESS  has  little  heart  or  consideration. 
It  does  not  play  favorites.  ,  It  recognizes 
largely  that  which  pertains  to  itself  alone. 

As  a  young  business  man,  or  as  an  employee, 
you  are  standing  at  the  crossroads,  one  the  road 
of  business,  the  other  the  path  of  your  own  in- 
dividual life  and  rights.  You  cannot  neglect  one 
without  injuring  the  other.  Each  has  its  place, 
and  success  never  comes  to  the  man  who  does 
not  recognize  the  importance  of  both. 

The  right  kind  of  accomplishment,  however, 
that  which  counts  in  the  long  run,  which  makes 
you  a  better  man  and  a  better  citizen,  does  not 
come  from  too  close  adherence  to  the  road  of 
business  or  from  over-devotion  to  your  own  per- 
sonal inclinations. 

Success  depends  upon  a  proper  recognition  of 
both,  upon  a  compromise  between  too  strenuous 
business  and  too  great  a  willingness  to  do  as  you 
please. 

I  would  not  give  much  for  the  man  who  can- 
not enjoy  a  ball  game,  or  for  one  who  sticks  to 

8i 


LETTING  UP 


his  desk  as  though  he  were  glued  to  his  office 
chair. 

No  man  does  his  best  if  he  devotes  his  entire 
energy  to  one  thing  without  change  or  diversion. 
A  friendly  game  of  golf  will  help  the  astronomer 
to  discover  stars.  A  day  or  a  half-day  in  the 
country  will  make  it  easier  for  the  business  man 
to  finance  a  difficult  proposition.  The  over- 
tired teacher  will  benefit  neither  himself  nor  his 
pupils  if  he  spends  all  of  his  off-time  indoors 
among  his  books,  forgetting  that  the  real  good 
of  education  cannot  live  in  devitalized  air. 

The  time  to  let  up  is  when  your  work  does 
not  come  easy  to  you,  when  you  dread  it,  not 
because  you  are  lazy,  not  because  the  ball  field  is 
acting  as  a  magnet,  but  because  you  are  so  tired 
that  you  have  to  drag  through  what  you  do  and 
force  yourself  to  accomplishment.  Then  diver- 
sion is  as  necessary  to  you  as  air  is  to  the  lungs. 
Without  it  you  will  suffocate  or  lose  so  much  of 
your  vitality  that  you  cannot  easily  return  to  the 
firing-line  of  business. 

Often  I  hear  a  young  man  say,  "I  can't  attend 
to  my  duties  if  I  think  of  anything  else,"  or  *'if 
I  do  anything  else."  He  is  wrong.  He  is  delud- 
ing himself.  He  is  robbing  himself  of  the  right 
of  existence. 


LETTING  UP 


The  men  who  make  the  most  of  themselves, 
who  are  able  to  handle  great  enterprises,  who 
benefit  the  world  by  their  discoveries  and  their 
expertness  in  science,  work  when  they  work,  and 
work  hard ;  but  they  have  brains  enough  to  know 
how  to  rest,  how  to  obtain  a  change,  even  by 
force,  and  they  rest  as  hard  as  they  work,  making 
a  business  of  it,  realizing  that  no  machine,  hu- 
man or  otherwise,  can  keep  constantly  turning 
in  one  direction  without  too  great  a  strain  on  the 
bearings  and  the  danger  of  accident. 

To  get  up,  learn  to  let  up. 


83 


GETTING   A    BETTER    POSITION 

THE  stagnant  pool  is  useless,  and  a  menace  to 
health.  Its  water  is  unfit  to  drink  and  its 
sluggishness  will  not  turn  a  water  wheel.  It 
either  dries  up  or  it  remains  a  blot  on  the  land- 
scape. 

The  man  who  stays  where  he  is,  without  think- 
ing of  bettering  his  condition,  is  like  the  Hfeless 
pool,  for,  sooner  or  later,  unless  he  attempts  to 
create  a  current,  he  will,  like  the  pool,  dry  up  or 
else  remain  an  unwelcome  member  of  society. 

Conversely,  however,  there  is  almost  as  much 
danger  in  attempting  to  rush  as  there  is  in  re- 
maining placid. 

The  mountain  torrent,  although  active,  does 
not  have  the  body  or  the  staying  quality  neces- 
sary for  utilization. 

However  profitable  your  position  may  be,  you 
have  a  right  to  consider  advancement;  but  when 
you  carry  this  consideration  beyond  the  lines  of 
ordinary  caution  and  plunge,  leap,  and  run,  you 
are  likely  to  dash  yourself  to  pieces  and  to  be  no 
better  off — perhaps  worse  off — than  you  would 
have  been  had  you  remained  at  a  standstill. 

64 


GETTING  A  BETTER  POSITION 


Do  not  be  dissatisfied  with  your  lot  to  the  ex- 
tent of  making  yourself  miserable.  Be  dissatis- 
fied only  in  so  far  as  it  will  encourage  you  to 
look  ahead  and  to  attempt,  with  the  use  of  your 
common  sense,  to  better  your  condition. 

Do  not  make  a  move  until  you  are  reasonably 
sure  that  it  will  lead  to  improvement;  and,  fur- 
ther, do  not  take  undue  chances. 

If  you  have  a  family  or  others  dependent  upon 
you,  you  have  no  right  to  jeopardize  their  inter- 
ests and  your  own  by  taking  speculative  chances. 

Plant  yourself  firmly  upon  the  rock  of  your 
present  position.  Reach  out  into  the  unknown 
with  both  of  your  hands.  Look  for  opportunity. 
When  you  think  you  have  found  it,  subject  it 
to  every  reasonable  test,  for  half  of  that  which 
masquerades  under  the  name  of  opportunity  is 
no  firmer  than  the  idle  wind  which  seems  to  come 
from  nowhere  and  to  go  nowhere. 

Half  of  the  failures  of  the  world  are  due  to 
stagnation,  to  placidity,  to  a  refusal  to  move  when 
opportunity  suggests  it;  and  the  other  half  is 
made  up  of  those  men  who  are  forever  dissatis- 
fied, discontented,  and  over-ambitious;  who, 
without  thought,  jump  for  the  first  line  that 
dangles  before  them,  without  waiting  to  see 
whether  the  other  end  is  firmly  fastened. 

85 


GETTING  A  BETTER  POSITION 


Thousands  of  young  men  have  thrown  up  pres- 
ent positions  because  something  else  seemed  bet- 
ter. They  knew  how  badly  off  they  were  where 
they  were,  but  they  did  not  investigate  the  fu- 
ture or  attempt  to  analyze  apparent  or  real  op- 
portunity. They  plunged  ahead,  leaving  a  good 
foundation  that  they  might  reach  what  appeared 
to  be  higher  ground,  and  most  of  them  floundered 
in  the  quicksands  between. 

Keep  your  feet  firmly  planted  upon  the  foun- 
dation of  the  present,  always  looking  ahead  and 
upward.  But  look,  and  keep  ^n  looking  for 
days,  and  weeks,  and  months,  and  years,  before 
you  allow  this  looking  to  influence  your  action,  or 
until  you  have  reasonable  proof  that  what  seems 
to  be  is  a  reality. 

The  ship  without  an  anchor  is  as  unsafe  as 
one  with  torn  and  battered  rigging. 


86 


THE  INVENTOR 

STATISTICS  are  misleading,  but  I  may  say, 
in  passing,  that  millions  of  patents  have  been 
issued,  and  that  thousands  of  new  inventions  are 
patented  yearly. 

The  patent  office  will  grant  a  patent  for  a  new 
discovery  or  invention,  irrespective  of  its  com- 
mercial or  other  worth,  the  examiners  basing 
their  decisions  upon  the  newness  of  the  thing, 
entirely  regardless  of  its  intrinsic  value. 

Inventions  have  been  made  by  both  sexes,  and 
by  people  of  all  ages,  including  the  immature 
youth.  Some  of  them  have  brought  fortunes, 
but  the  majority  of  patents  are  worth  practically 
nothing,  and  many  a  good  discovery  or  invention, 
through  lack  of  development  and  exploitation, 
has  not  contributed  anything  to  its  originator. 

A  successful  invention  is  dependent  upon  two 
conditions:  first,  the  commercial  or  other  value 
of  the  thing  itself ;  secondly,  proper  development. 

Comparatively  few  inventors  or  scientific  men 
have  business  ability,  and  the  majority  do  not 
understand  the  marketing  of  the  products  of 

S7 


THE  INVENTOR 


their  ingenuity.  They  can  invent,  but  they  can- 
not exploit.  They  can  discover,  but  they  cannot 
distribute. 

While  a  few  great  inventions  have  been  the 
result  of  chance  or  accident,  the  majority  of 
profitable  patents  are  the  result  of  education  and 
training,  combined  with  unceasing  research. 
Mere  brightness  and  ingenuity  are  not  sufficient. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  inventor  comes  by 
his  talent  naturally  and  that  he  cannot  produce  it. 

If  you  are  ingenious  and  original,  and  would 
invent,  first  train  yourself  along  the  line  of  your 
proposed  course-  Secondly,  do  not  invent  in  a 
haphazard  manner.  Study  conditions  by  re- 
search, ascertain  what  is  wanted,  what  can  be 
used,  what  will  be  used  if  properly  presented. 
Then  attempt  to  meet  this  demand. 

When  the  idea  is  born,  search  the  patent  rec- 
ords, for  the  chances  are  that  someone  else  has 
forestalled  you. 

By  quiet  and  more  or  less  secret  inquiry  at- 
tempt to  discover  whether  or  not  what  you  have 
is  marketable.  Then  consult  a  reputable  patent 
lawyer  or  solicitor.  If  you  do  not  know  of  one, 
ask  the  judge  of  the  court,  or  some  high-class 
attorney-at-law,  to  recommend  one.  Place  your- 
self unreservedly  in  his  hands,  for  no  reliable 


I 


THE  INVENTOR 


patent  lawyer  or  solicitor  has  ever  been  known 
to  betray  his  clients. 

After  the  patent  is  issued  to  you,  get  into  com- 
munication with  concerns  manufacturing  sim- 
ilar articles,  or  appearing  to  do  so,  and  either 
sell  your  patent  outright  or  arrange  for  a  royalty. 
The  chances  are  a  thousand  to  one  that  you  can- 
not properly  handle  it  yourself. 

Bear  in  mind  one  thing :  the  result  of  ingenuity 
is  worthless  unless  it  can  be  used  either  commer- 
cially or  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  Financial 
profit  comes  only  to  those  who  produce  some- 
thing which  will  sell. 

You  may  be  perfectly  convinced  of  the  value 
of  your  invention,  but,  unless  you  can  make  the 
public  realize  its  worth,  you  cannot  hope  to  win 
fame  or  fortune  from  it.  First,  be  sure  that  you 
have  something  which  the  world  needs;  then 
make  every  effort  to  show  it  that  you  have  some- 
thing very  much  worth  its  consideration  by  plac- 
ing it  in  the  hands  of  men  you  can  trust,  men 
who  have  the  capital  and  ability  to  develop  it. 
Don't  try  to  do  it  yourself  unless  you  have  both 
money  and  business  acumen. 


89 


KEEPING  AND  GIVING 

I  WAS  much  interested  in  a  recently  published 
interview  with  a  business  woman  who  has 
"made  good"  at  an  early  age,  and  whose  success 
has  placed  her  in  the  limelight  of  business 
achievement.  I  was  particularly  impressed  with 
these  words  of  hers :  "I  am  always  glad  to  help 
if  I  can,  for  the  only  things  we  keep  are  the 
things  we  give  away." 

Everyone  has  a  right  to  earn  a  living,  to  en- 
joy the  fruits  of  his  labor,  and  to  accumulate  a 
sum  sufficient  to  protect  him  in  emergencies  or 
in  old  age.  Yet  money  or  wealth  in  itself  has 
only  transient  value.  It  is  good  in  this  world,  but 
not  negotiable  in  the  future.  When  a  man 
crosses  the  River,  he  carries  with  him  neither 
wealth  nor  worldly  fame.  His  passport  to  eter- 
nal happiness  is  dependent,  not  upon  what  he 
had,  but  upon  what  he  gave;  upon  what  he  did 
to  make  the  world  better,  not  upon  what  he  kept 
for  himself. 

Analyze  the  contents  of  the  great  biographies ; 
here  are  listed  men  of  real  mark,  men  who  are 
beloved,  men  who  will  never  be  forgotten,  and 
90 


KEEPING  AND  GIVING 


you  will  find  that  all  of  them  are  known,  not  by 
the  money  they  had,  but  by  what  they  did  with 
their  money  if  they  had  it,  or  by  other  contribu- 
tions to  the  public  good. 

Money  does  not  make  a  great  man.  By  itself, 
it  is  as  worthless  as  unmined  ore. 

The  proper  use  of  money  creates  greatness. 

There  are  thousands  of  men  in  America  to- 
day who  are  truly  great,  who  are  famous,  who 
are  known  from  one  ocean  to  the  other,  and  yet 
their  reputation  is  not  due  to  the  money  they 
have — for  many  of  them  have  little  or  none  of 
it — but  to  their  generosity,  to  their  willingness  to 
do  for  others,  to  make  the  world  better  and 
brighter.  They  are  known  by  what  they  give 
away,  not  by  what  they  keep.  They  are  truly 
wealthy,  for  they  have  deposited  in  the  Eternal 
Bank  collateral  which  is  forever  negotiable  and 
will  pay  an  everlasting  dividend. 

I  am  not  suggesting  that  one  be  slothful  in 
business,  that  he  refuse  to  make  profit,  but  I  am 
saying  that  business  in  itself,  money  by  itself, 
are  unprofitable  property.  They  have  no  lasting 
value  and  do  not  give  that  wealth  of  reputation 
which  comes  only  to  those  who  live  that  they 
may  help  others  to  live,  whose  happiness  comes, 
not  from  luxury,  but  from  that  inner  feeling 

91 


KEEPING  AND  GIVING 


that  they  have  rendered  unto  the  world  the  best 
there  is  in  them  and  have  gained  their  happiness 
by  making  others  happy. 

The  selfish  business  man,  though  he  may  con- 
trol a  city  full  of  people  and  own  a  chain  of  a 
dozen  banks,  is  poor  indeed  compared  with  him 
who  has  deposited  his  money  where  it  will  be 
of  mutual  benefit  to  himself  and  to  his  fellows. 
This  man  is  remembered.  This  man  will  never 
be  forgotten.  This  man,  instead  of  handing 
down  to  his  posterity  the  money,  which  may  do 
it  little  good,  has  left  to  his  children  a  legacy 
which  can  never  shrink  in  value  and  which  they 
will  prize  more  than  untold  monied  wealth.  He 
was  rich,  rich  in  all  those  things  which  make  real 
wealth,  the  kind  that  is  not  affected  by  the  fluc- 
tuations of  the  selfish  market. 

What  you  keep  will  leave  you.  What  you  give 
will  never  disappear. 


92 


INTEREST 

IT  is  utterly  impossible  for  anyone,  try  as  he 
will,  to  realize  the  full  measure  of  success  un- 
less he  is  interested  in  what  he  is  doing,  unless 
his  work  appeals  to  him,  unless  he  is  happy  in 
doing  it. 

The  work  we  do  is  of  two  kinds:  that  which 
so  interests  us  that  we  enjoy  it,  and  that  which 
does  not  appeal  to  us  and  which  may  appear  to 
be  drudgery.  ' 

If,  however,  we  realize  that  even  the  most  men- 
ial occupation,  or  the  most  dismal  drudgery,  is 
preparatory  to  better  work  and  leads  to  results, 
then  drudgery  is  no  longer  drudgery  and  we  are 
interested  in  what  we  don't  like,  because  it  is  go- 
ing to  help  us  to  do  what  we  do  like. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  lack  of  interest,  no 
reason  why  one  should  not  be  happy  while  at 
work,  why  he  should  not  enjoy  his  labor,  what- 
ever it  may  be.  If  he  does  not,  he  cannot  ac- 
complish a  flush  result ;  his  labor  wears  upon  him 
both  mentally  and  physically,  and  each  day  he  is 
worse  off  than  he  was  on  the  day  before. 

No  work  is  worth  while  which  does  not  pre- 
93 


INTEREST 

pare  one  to  do  better  work.  This  may  seem  to 
be  a  strong  statement.  The  street  digger  may 
appear  to  be  right  when  he  says  that  he  has  noth- 
ing to  live  for  save  to  Hve,  that  his  work  is  simply 
necessary  to  his  sustenance,  and  that  he  performs 
it  as  his  digestive  tract  handles  his  food,  con- 
sciously yet  subconsciously  and  automatically. 
While  it  is  possible  that  he  may  never  rise  from 
the  street,  and  while  conditions,  if  not  lack  of 
ability,  will  not  allow  him  to  give  up  the  spade, 
he  can  love  to  dig,  and  feel  that  every  shovelful 
of  dirt  is  carrying  him  away  from  this  subordi- 
nate labor  into  something  better.  If  he  has  no 
ambition,  if  his  work  remains  drudgery,  he  will 
always  be  a  drudge. 

I  have  no  patience  with  the  man  who  feels  that 
where  he  is  is  where  he  will  always  be,  who  does 
not  look  up  to  the  stars,  and  does  not,  mentally 
at  least,  travel  upward  even  though  his  feet  may 
never  leave  the  ground. 

The  man  who  has  landed  on  the  upper  plat- 
form of  the  monument  of  fame  never  would  have 
reached  that  height  if  he  had  not,  as  a  boy  and 
as  a  young  man,  looked  up  while  he  worked  be- 
low, if  he  had  not  been  interested  in  his  labor, 
if  he  had  not  seen  in  menial  effort  the  glimmer 
of  the  sun  of  opportunity,  which  shines  for  all, 

94 


INTEREST 


though  all  may  not  be  permitted  to  live  under 
its  strengthening  rays. 

It  is  not  always  so  much  a  question  of  how 
much  we  do  as  it  is  of  how  we  do  it,  whether  we 
work  as  an  automaton  or  whether  we  encourage 
the  nerve  to  develop  which  connects  the  brain 
with  the  hand. 

I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  any  such  thing 
as  purely  mechanical  work,  even  though  some 
people  may  seem  to  labor  mechanically. 

The  human  brain  cannot  help  moving,  cannot 
help  directing,  although,  unfortunately,  many  do 
not  realize  it. 

I  admit  that  environment  counts,  that  we  are 
better  off  working  in  one  direction,  or  in  one 
place,  than  we  are  in  others. 

Young  man  and  young  woman,  while  you  can- 
not always  choose  at  the  start,  at  least,  the  road 
which  you  are  to  follow,  you  can  usually,  if  you 
will  think,  if  you  will  analyze  conditions,  if  you 
will  utilize  all  the  brain  power  you  have,  get  into 
something  which  appeals  to  you,  which  interests 
you,  and  which  will  enable  you  to  do  better  than 
if  you  travel  continually  along  a  way  which  is 
not  your  way. 

Consider  your  work  at  the  start  as  preliminary 
to  what  it  will  be,  or  what  you  hope  it  will  be,  and, 

95 


INTEREST 


whether  you  like  it  or  not,  become  interested  in 
it,  not  altogether  because  of  that  work  in  itself, 
but  because  it  will  lead,  or  may  lead,  to  some- 
thing better. 

Let  me  say  to  you,  with  all  the  emphasis  pos- 
sible to  printed  words,  that  unless  you  are  inter- 
ested in  what  you  have  to  do,  no  matter  what  it 
may  be,  you  are  not  fitting  yourself  to  be  inter- 
ested when  interesting  work  arrives. 

Work  without  interest  is  hard  labor.  Work 
with  interest  is  pleasure. 


INTUITIVE  JUDGMENT 

IT  was  Shakespeare  who  said,  ''My  only  reason 
is  a  woman's  reason.  I  think  it's  so  because  I 
think  it's  so." 

Probably  the  Bard  of  Avon  had  reference  to 
the  popular  fallacy  that  woman  does  not  reason, 
that  she  depends  too  much  upon  intuition. 

It  is  apparently  true  that  many  persons,  per- 
haps a  larger  proportion  of  women  than  men, 
possess  a  more  acute  power  of  intuition  and  that 
their  snap  judgment  is,  or  appears  to  be,  worth 
more  than  is  occasionally  the  mature  reasoning 
of  those  who  are  trained  to  think. 

Whether  this  is  so  or  not,  I  believe  that  no  well- 
balanced  man  would  allow  himself  to  depend 
upon  the  judgment  of  instinct  or  that  of  intuition, 
except  to  give  it  thoughtful  consideration. 

Judgment  springs  from  three  sources:  first, 
that  which  is  called  instinct,  which  is  a  mere 
guess,  with  Httle  or  no  foundation;  secondly,  in- 
tuition, which  is  far  above  instinct,  and  which  is 
usually  based  upon  experience,  even  though  it 
may  be  of  the  sub-conscious  variety;  thirdly, 

97 


INTUITIVE  JUDGMENT 


knowledge  founded  wholly  upon  the  facts  of  ex- 
perience. 

I  thoroughly  disbelieve  in  the  value  of  instinct, 
except  as  exercised  by  animals.  Instinct  has  been 
given  them  because  their  reasoning  powers  are 
limited,  but  human  beings  do  not  possess  this 
quality.  They  were  given  minds  to  use,  and  they 
have  little  need  of  instinct. 

Intuition  is  an  entirely  different  thing.  It  is 
not  due  to  instinct,  but  to  experience  sub-con- 
sciously realized. 

Let  me  give  a  concrete  example :  The  captain 
of  an  ocean  greyhound  is  thoroughly  grounded 
in  navigation,  and  has  experienced  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  on  the  ocean.  He  has  been  through 
every  kind  of  calm  and  storm.  He  steps  upon 
the  bridge  after  a  good  night's  sleep.  Instantly 
he  feels  that  something  is  wrong,  and  the  unthink- 
ing may  claim  that  this  is  due  to  instinct.  Far 
from  it.  It  is  founded  upon  intuition,  and  this 
intuition  is  based  upon  years  of  experience.  He 
thinks  and  reasons  as  he  did  while  an  apprentice, 
yet  he  does  it  sub-consciously  and  almost  instan- 
taneously, so  rapidly  that  he  forgets  that  he  has 
thought.  He  immediately  prepares  to  meet  the 
coming  danger,  which  is  felt  and  yet  not  seen. 
Practice  has  shown  him  how  to  do  more  think- 

98 


INTUITIVE  JUDGMENT 


ing,  and  more  reasoning,  in  the  fraction  of  a 
second  than,  years  ago,  he  could  have  accom- 
pHshed  in  an  hour. 

Another  example:  The  junior  partner  pre- 
sents a  proposition  to  his  senior.  Instantly  a  de- 
cision is  rendered.  It  may  seem,  even  to  the  one 
who  has  made  the  decision,  that  he  arrived  at  it 
in  some  supernatural  way.  Not  so.  In  a  sec- 
ond, or  even  in  a  fraction  of  a  second,  he  as- 
sembled in  his  mind  the  experience  of  years ;  and, 
although  his  decision  appeared  to  be  instantane- 
ous, it  was  not  rendered  until  he  had  mentally, 
yet  unconsciously,  weighed  every  side  in  the 
quickly  acting  scale  of  his  experienced  mind. 

Because  intuition  is  the  superlative  result  of 
long  experience  it  is,  perhaps,  more  dependable 
than  is  mechanical  and  automatic  judgment  based 
wholly  upon  definite  and  acceptable  fact.  In  say- 
ing this  I  am  not  suggesting  that  anyone  depend 
upon  intuition  wholly,  and  I  should  advise  one, 
further,  not  to  rely  altogether  upon  judgment 
which  can  be  written  out  and  tabulated. 

The  safe  road  is  paved  with  both  judgment  and 
intuition.  When  one  is  able  calmly  to  figure  out 
probable  result,  with  the  feeling  that  it  is  likely 
to  be  favorable,  he  has  to  guide  him  not  only  what 
he  can  see,  or  what  appears  to  be  correct,  but 

99 


INTUITIVE  JUDGMENT 


what  he  feels  is  right;  and  this  feehng  is  not  in- 
stinct,  but  intuition;  not  pure  intuition,  but  rather, 
the  sub-conscious  correlation  of  the  facts  of  ex- 
perience. 


100 


SAM  WAS  DISCOURAGED 

WHAT'S  the  matter,  Sam?"  asked  his 
friend  Will. 

'Tm  discouraged,"  replied  Sam.  "I  haven't 
been  late  for  a  year,  and  I've  worked  hard,  but 
the  boss  doesn't  seem  to  appreciate  me.  Only 
yesterday  he  raised  the  pay  of  a  fellow  who  hasn't 
been  there  half  as  long  as  I  have." 

*'Kind  of  tough,  I  admit,"  replied  Will  con- 
solingly. "How  did  it  happen?  You  say  the 
other  fellow  got  his  pay  raised.  There  must  be 
a  reason  for  it." 

"The  only  reason  I  can  think  of  is  partiality. 
The  boss  always  liked  him  and  just  pushed  him 
ahead." 

"Let's  talk  it  over,"  said  Will.  "Perhaps  the 
boss  was  partial,  but  was  this  partiality  due  to 
what  the  fellow  did?    Think  hard." 

"Not  much,"  snapped  Sam.  "Walter  was  al- 
ways fresh,  putting  himself  in  the  boss's  way  and 
getting  him  to  notice  him,  while  I  minded  my 
business." 

"Let's  be  fair,  Sam,"  said  his  friend.     "You 

lOI 


SAM  WAS  DISCOURAGED 


say  that  Walter  made  his  boss  notice  him.  What 
did  he  do?" 

*'WelI,"  replied  Sam,  *'he's  all  the  time  doing 
a  lot  of  things  that  he  hasn't  any  business  to  do, 
things  which  he  isn't  paid  for  doing." 

*'Such  as  what?" 

"Well,  he  fixes  up  the  boss's  desk,  sees  that  the 
inkstand  is  filled,  puts  on  a  new  piece  of  blotting 
paper  once  in  a  while,  arranges  the  letters,  and  a 
lot  of  other  things  which  nobody  asks  him  to  do." 

"Sam,"  said  Will  quietly,  "you've  hit  it. 
You've  minded  your  own  business,  while  Walter 
has  done  the  same  thing  and  more.  You're  get- 
ting all  you  are  worth  for  what  you're  doing. 
Walter  hasn't  neglected  his  regular  duties,  has 
he?" 

"No,"  snapped  Sam. 

"Now,  you  see,  old  boy,  that  Walter  has 
minded  his  own  business  as  well  as  you  have. 
He  hasn't  neglected  anything  which  he  should 
do,  but  he  has  gone  beyond  that  and  done  a  lot 
of  little  things  which  the  boss  particularly  appre- 
ciates." 

"How  is  a  fellow  going  to  do  more  than  his 
regular  work  when  he  is  busy  all  the  time  ?" 

"Isn't  Walter  busy  all  the  time,  too?  But  he 
found  a  way,  and  so  can  you,  Sam,  if  you  want 

102 


SAM  WAS  DISCOURAGED 


to.  Walter  has  been  interested.  He  has  feU  his 
responsibility.  You've  not  been  particularly  in- 
terested,  and  you've  not  realized  your  responsi- 
bility.  You've  let  well  enough  alone.  Walter 
has  gone  farther.  My  boss  lectured  us  the  other 
day  and  told  us  how  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm,  because  he  felt  just  as  though  he  were 
the  firm  itself  when  he  was  getting  five  dollars 
a  week ;  and  he  looked  out  for  the  firm's  interest 
as  well  as  he  would  have  done  if  he  had  owned 
it.  I  tell  you,  Sam,  the  fellow  who  gets  anywhere 
nowadays  has  got  to  get  out  of  the  rut.  Sticking 
to  your  duties  isn't  enough.  The  boss  expects  you 
to  do  that,  but  he  raises  the  pay  of  the  man  who 
does  what  he  doesn't  have  to  do,  provided,  of 
course,  that  he  performs  his  regular  duties  satis- 
factorily." 

Was  Sam  convinced?  I  think  not,  for  at  the 
end  of  the  year  he  was  out  of  a  job;  and  Walter — 
well,  he  isn't  a  partner  yet,  and  perhaps  he  never 
will  be,  but  he  is  the  head  of  a  large  department. 
He  did  what  he  didn't  have  to  do,  and  *'got 
there." 


103 


SNOBS 

THERE  are  three  brands  of  snobs:  the  one 
who  thinks  he  is  better  than  he  is;  he  who 
thinks  he  is  better  than  other  folks;  and  the 
fellow  who  thinks  he  is  both  better  than  he  is 
and  better  than  other  folks.  In  every  case  he 
isn't. 

The  other  day  a  gaudy  and  well-mortgaged 
automobile  drew  up  in  front  of  a  country  hos- 
telry, one  of  the  many  of  its  kind  patronized  by 
decent  people,  where  the  boarders  get  together 
and  have  a  good  time.  Mine  host,  as  usual,  was 
at  the  door.    He  bowed  and  scraped  a  welcome. 

"Can  we  get  something  to  eat  here?"  asked  the 
autocrat. 

"Certainly;  I  should  be  happy  to  accommo- 
date you,"  replied  the  hotel  man  cordially. 

"Say,"  said  the  auto  snob,  "can  you  fix  it  so 
my  chauffeur  won't  eat  at  the  same  table  with 
us?" 

"That  is  easily  arranged,"  replied  the  landlord. 

The  automobilist  and  his  party  entered  the  of- 
fice and  cleaned  up  a  bit. 

"Landlord,"  said  he,  "be  sure  not  to  seat  our 
chauffeur  near  us." 

104 


SNOBS 


"I'll  look  after  that,"  was  the  reply. 

The  auto-autocrat  wrote  a  letter,  and,  accom- 
panied by  his  male  and  female  snobs,  started  for 
the  dining-room. 

"Don't  forget,"  called  he  to  the  landlord,  "not 
to  put  the  chauffeur  at  our  table." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  hotel  proprietor. 

"Say,  you  fellow,"  he  shouted,  "what's  the 
matter  with  your  chauffeur,  anyway?  Won't  he 
eat  with  you?" 

Another  incident:  At  a  sociological  confer- 
ence, attended  by  the  alleged  intellects  of  Amer- 
ica, an  afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  discussion  of 
the  servant  girl  problem.  An  eminent  educator 
claimed  that  one  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  good  service  was  the  lack  of  decent 
treatment  on  the  part  of  the  mistress,  the  speaker 
asserting  that  the  average  mistress  subjected  her 
help  to  annoying  subordination  and  patronage. 
One  of  our  leading  journalists  was  on  the  pro- 
gram. After  discussing  the  question  soberly,  he 
said:  "Although  I'm  democratic,  I'm  not  in- 
discriminately in  favor  of  treating  a  house  ser- 
vant as  a  member  of  the  family,  and  I  don't  favor 
asking  her  to  sit  at  the  table  when  company  is 
present.  I  say  this  in  the  interest  of  the  servant, 
because  it  seems  to  me  unfair  to  force  her  to  lis- 
los 


SNOBS 


ten  to  the  conversation  which  is  usually  rampant 
at  the  average  table  at  which  Tve  had  the  dis- 
honor to  be  a  guest." 

I  do  not  propose  to  discuss  the  relative  position 
of  master  and  servant,  or  to  go  into  sociological 
dissertation  on  the  subject,  except  to  remark  that 
there  are  servants  who  are  superior  to  their  mas- 
ters and  masters  who  are  higher  than  their  ser- 
vants. 

A  proportion  of  those  who  are,  or  who  think 
that  they  are,  society  leaders  began  in  the  "help" 
class,  and  may  or  may  not  have  progressed  intelli- 
gently. 

The  captain  of  industry  started  as  an  employee 
and  rose  from  the  ranks. 

The  really  great  man  does  not  make  a  specialty 
of  exploiting  his  greatness,  nor  does  he  con- 
sider himself  either  above  or  below  those  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  maintains  proper 
business  discipline,  and  subjects  him  subordi- 
nates to  it.  He  has  a  right  to  select  his  asso- 
ciates, and  he  does,  but  he  is  never  condescend- 
ing and  he  never  patronizes.  He  reahzes  that, 
if  conditions  had  been  reversed,  he  might  oc- 
cupy the  place  of  his  servant.  He  is  not  a  snob, 
and  he  is  not  particular  about  advertising  what 
he  is. 

io6 


SNOBS 


The  snob  has  no  friends,  even  among  his  kind. 
His  position  is  not  fixed,  and  never  will  be. 

Snobbery  is  not  limited  to  the  rich  or  to  the 
ancestry-idolator,  who  would  be  ashamed  of  his 
forebears  if  they  lived  with  him. 

Big  men  don't  feel  big.  Little  men  usually  do. 
Greatness  is  democratic. 


107 


SOCIETY 

**¥  AM  not  in  society  this  winter,"  says  a  young 
■I  woman.  "I  am  too  busy  to  go  into  society," 
remarks  a  young  man. 

What  is  "society,"  anyway;  the  society  about 
which  the  foregoing  was  spoken  ?  Really,  I  don't 
know,  and  the  three  big  dictionaries  refuse  to 
enlighten  me.  At  a  guess,  I  should  say  that 
probably  the  young  people  quoted  refer  to  the 
collection  of  persons  they  meet  when  they  go 
out,  at  balls,  parties,  and  other  invitation  func- 
tions, and  not  necessarily  to  the  individuals  whom 
they  visit.  Perhaps  they  are  unfortunate  enough 
to  belong  to  some  alleged  exclusive  form  of  so- 
ciety or  to  some  clique  or  collection  of  conceited 
people  who,  because  they  don't  know  where  they 
stand,  assume  to  stand  for  something  about  which 
they  know  nothing. 

Thousands,  yes,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
young  people  have  injured  their  presents  and  dis- 
counted their  futures  by  going  into  what  they 
call  "society."  Yes,  many  men  and  women  have 
sacrificed  their  souls  upon  the  altar  of  "society." 

Young  people  should  have  friends ;  they  should 
io8 


SOCIETY 

not  be  bookworms  or  room-hermits.  They 
should  intermingle,  they  should  exchange  experi- 
ences, play  games  of  conversation,  and  other 
games;  but  all  this  does  not  mean  "going  into 
society,"  for  society  is  commonly  understood  as 
simply  another  word  for  dissipation,  with  or 
without  the  wine-cup. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  our  great  merchant 
princes,  our  men  of  prodigious  intellect,  our 
famous  discoverers  and  scientists,  our  men  of 
mark  in  every  walk  of  life,  care  more  for  sociabil- 
ity than  for  society,  and  not  one  in  a  hundred  of 
them  is  in  "society."  They  live  natural  lives, 
make  friends  among  their  kind,  and  enjoy  social 
intercourse.  They  don't  "care  a  fig"  whether 
Mrs.  Tone  invites  them  to  her  most  exclusive 
ball,  or  whether  Mr.  Highbrow  includes  them  in 
his  list  of  dinner  guests. 

Many  men  of  wealth,  and  more  men  who 
haven't  any,  sacrifice  the  vitality  of  life  to  get 
into  "society,"  and  when  they  get  in  they  spend 
half  of  their  time  keeping  in.  When  they  be- 
come old  enough  to  know  better,  they  visit  Na- 
ture's out-of-doors,  breathe  the  fresh  air,  and 
mentally,  and  sometimes  physically,  kick  them- 
selves for  the  folly  of  their  silly  ambition. 

Don't  worry  about  finding  your  "society" 
109 


SOCIETY 


level.  Your  level  will  come  to  you,  and  any  level 
you  try  to  reach,  which  is  either  above  or  below 
your  proper  sphere,  is  disastrous. 

Bear  in  mind,  young  man  and  young  woman, 
that  mere  money,  the  ability  to  dance  the  tango, 
and  the  capacity  for  small  talk,  are  not  keys  which 
will  unlock  the  door  of  good  society. 

If  your  ancestors  came  here  in  the  over- 
crowded Mayflower,  or  your  several-times-re- 
moved grandfather  chased  Indians,  remember 
that  you  may  not  be  any  better  than  other  people 
with  a  hazy  past,  for  the  whole  world  feeds  on  the 
same  kind  of  meat,  sleeps  in  similar  beds,  and 
wears  much-alike  clothes,  if  it  can  get  them. 

^'Society,"  as  it  runs,  starts  from  nowhere  and 
ends  in  the  Land  of  Nothing. 


1X0 


THE-SURE-THEY-ARE- 
^'RIGHTERS" 

1WANT  you  to  meet  George  Lewis,"  said  my 
friend.  "He  is  one  of  those  fellows  who, 
when  he  knows  he  is  right,  can't  be  turned  or  in- 
fluenced." 

"I  should  be  delighted  to  meet  him,"  I  re- 
plied, "because  I  know  him  by  reputation  and  he 
stands  high  in  his  community  as  a  man  of  the 
strictest  integrity;  but,  John,  I  don't  think  you 
have  given  him  a  very  good  character." 

*'What  do  you  mean?" 

"You  said  that  when  he  knows  he  is  right, 
nothing  can  change  him  or  influence  him." 

"I  meant  what  I  said,"  retorted  my  friend. 

"No,  you  didn't,"  I  replied,  "for,  if  you  did, 
you  could  not  have  any  respect  for  George 
Lewis." 

"Explain  yourself." 

"The  best  of  us,  John,  never  claim  to  know  by 
ourselves,  and  of  ourselves,  what  is  absolutely 
right  or  wrong.  The  noblest  man  is  weak  and 
realizes  it.  His  ability  to  differentiate  between 
the  good  and  the  bad  is  not  vested  wholly  in  him- 
III 


THE-SURE-THEY-ARE-"RIGHTERS" 

self.  He  obtains  this  proficiency — if  I  may  call 
it  such — because  of  his  contact  with  men  of 
honor  and  with  those  of  the  opposite  type.  He 
absorbs  public  opinion  and  becomes  composite." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say,"  interrupted  John, 
"that  pubhc  opinion  is  always  right?" 

"No,"  I  replied;  "the  majority  is  frequently 
wrong,  and  the  minority  is  often  right,  and  vice 
versa/' 

"Then  how  are  we  to  decide  upon  what  is  right 
and  what  is  wrong?" 

"K  our  intention  is  to  do  right,  and  we  are 
constantly  fighting  temptation,  our  actions  will 
usually  be  what  they  should  be ;  but,  when  we  al- 
low our  own  individual  judgment  to  prevail  ex- 
clusively, we  may  be  wrong,  even  though  we  in- 
tend to  be  right.  Alone  we  are  not  able  to  take 
care  of  ourselves,  far  less  able  than  is  the  ani- 
mal, who  is  guided  by  instinct,  not  by  conscience. 
If  a  man  reasons  by  himself  alone,  he  is  as  likely 
to  be  wrong  as  right.  H  he  combines  what  he 
knows  with  what  others  know,  and  allows  com- 
posite opinion  to  assist  in  guiding  him,  he  is  not 
likely  to  make  serious  mistakes." 

"The  opinion  of  others  may  be  wrong,"  inter- 
rupted John. 

"Granted,"  I  replied ;  "but  the  man  with  a  sen- 

112 


THE-SURE-THEY-ARE-"RIGHTERS" 

sitive  conscience  and  a  noble  character  can  dif- 
ferentiate with  a  large  degree  of  accuracy.  He 
will  not  depend  upon  the  opinion  of  the  mob,  even 
though  it  may  be  in  the  majority.  He  will  con- 
sult with  intelligent  and  honest  men,  and  he  and 
they  together,  not  separately,  will  decide  any 
question  which  may  come  up.  If  his  experience 
is  greater  than  that  of  those  with  whom  he  con- 
sults, he  will  allow  his  own  judgment  larger 
play.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  is  convinced  that 
others  know  better  than  he  does,  he  will  set  aside 
his  own  opinion,  to  a  certain  extent  at  least.  For 
example,  a  professional  man  is  at  variance  with 
the  policy  of  an  administration,  a  matter  which 
concerns  business.  Perhaps  his  opinion  is  worth 
practically  nothing,  and  if  the  policy  of  the  ad- 
ministration is  accepted  by  business  men  of  char- 
acter and  integrity,  the  man  is  a  fool  if  he  allows 
himself  to  question  it. 

"Men  of  ability,  of  character,  of  honor,  of  in- 
tegrity, seldom  know;  they  think,'* 


113 


SNAGS 

PROGRESSION'S  marching  road  is  seldom 
*  straight.  It  runs  along  the  highways  and 
into  the  byways,  over  the  valley,  the  hills,  and 
the  mountains. 

There  is  no  royal  road  to  success,  no  easy  way 
of  accomplishment,  notwithstanding  that  "Royal 
Roads"  and  ''Easy  Ways"  abound  in  half  the 
spell-binding  harangues  which  irresponsible 
writers  and  talkers  hurl  upon  their  young  vic- 
tims, who,  with  bated  breath,  drink  in  the  words 
which  seem  to  proclaim  the  doctrine  of  "Some- 
thing for  Nothing,"  or  "Much  for  Little." 

I  recall  an  incident:  A  friend  of  mine,  well 
grounded  in  experience,  started  an  enterprise  un- 
der a  new  environment.  His  apparent  immediate 
success  was  remarkable.  The  business  paid  at 
the  start.  He  was  elated.  His  friends  congratu- 
lated him.  His  small  capital  appeared  to  be  suf- 
ficient. Business  rolled  in  and  profits  seemed  as- 
sured. This  condition  continued  for  many 
months.  Then  he  struck  a  dead  center.  Busi- 
ness dropped  off.  Profits  no  longer  appeared  on 
the  balance  sheet.  To  use  the  language  of  the 
114 


SNAGS 


Streets,  he  was  "up  against  it,"  and  '*up  against 
it"  hard.  He  persevered  and  won,  but  for  nearly 
a  year  his  nose  was  at  the  grindstone.  He  worked 
day  and  night.  Every  week  obstacles  presented 
themselves  which  appeared  to  be  almost  insur- 
mountable. In  the  end,  however,  his  persever- 
ance, combined  with  ability  and  experience,  con- 
quered, as  is  usually  the  case. 

Comparatively  few  men  succeed  continuously. 
Few,  very  few,  business  houses  pay  a  continuous 
profit.  Like  our  highways,  the  business  road  is 
not  constantly  smooth,  and  it  is  seldom  straight. 
Gold-tipped  prospects  may  be  leaden  underneath, 
and  the  sky  is  not  often  clear  for  more  than  a 
few  days  at  a  time.  It  is  sure  to  be  cloudy;  it  is 
sure  to  rain.  The  glorious  encouragement  of 
the  sun  is  not  to  be  wholly  depended  upon.  A 
dark  day  is  coming. 

Success  depends  not  only  upon  capital,  ex- 
perience, and  ability,  but  upon  an  appreciation 
of  possible,  if  not  probable,  disaster. 

The  good  trade  of  to-day  may  not  be  dupli- 
cated to-morrow. 

The  best  of  goods  do  not  sell  continually,  and 
there  is  little  profit  which  does  not  fluctuate. 

Even  the   strongest  municipal  bond   may  be 
worth  more  to-day  than  it  will  be  to-morrow. 
115 


SNAGS 


Nothing  in  business  appears  to  be  standard  and 
sure. 

Every  road  either  has  a  snag  in  the  middle  of 
it,  or  there  are  snags  beside  it,  which  the  storm 
will  drive  into  the  center. 

Expect  difficulties.  Anticipate  snags,  even 
when  you  appear  to  sail  on  the  flood  tide  of 
success. 

Many  a  yachtsman  has  started  out  on  a  calm 
morning  and  been  wrecked  by  the  afternoon 
storm,  even  during  a  season  of  good  weather. 

Reef  before  the  hurricane  strikes.  Be  ready 
to  meet  the  wind  and  storm,  ''Make  haste 
slowly."  See  that  your  anchor  is  ready  for  heav- 
ing, that  your  lines  are  strong  enough  to  hold. 
Be  prepared  for  wind  and  wave.  If  they  don't 
come  you  are  fortunate.  If  they  do  come  your 
preparation  will  enable  you  to  ride  them  and  make 
a  safe  harbor. 

Recognize  the  fact  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  a  snag,  even  when  you  do  not  see  it.  It  is 
there,  or  may  be.  And  if  it  is  there,  do  not  be 
discouraged.  Do  not  sit  back  and  wail  in  list- 
less tone:  "Just  my  luck.  I  might  have  known 
it."  Tackle  that  snag  with  a  mighty  determina- 
tion to  wrest  it  from  your  path  and  annihilate  it. 
Then,  when  it  has  ceased  to  be,  march  on  to  the 
no 


SNAGS 


next  obstruction,  fortified  by  the  consciousness 
of  your  power  to  handle  what  is  to  come,  as  well 
as  that  which  has  been. 

If  it  were  not  for  snags,  and  plenty  of  them, 
for  constantly  occurring  handicaps,  life's  road 
would  be  so  monotonous  that  there  would  be  lit- 
tle incentive  for  the  exercise  of  progressive  ac- 
tivity. 


"7 


SIMPLICITY 

SIMPLICITY  is  art,  understood  by  the  ig- 
norant and  appreciated  by  the  intelligent. 

Great  men  are  simple,  and  their  tastes  are  sim- 
ple. They  dress  simply,  never  ostentatiously; 
their  watch-chains,  if  they  have  any,  are  never 
large  and  conspicuous.  Occasionally  they  wear 
a  ring,  but  only  one  ring.  Their  natural  appe- 
tites crave  simple  food,  and  not  the  rich  viands 
and  the  richer  and  mysterious  sauces  which  can 
tickle  only  the  palate  of  the  epicure,  who  lives 
to  eat  rather  than  eats  to  live. 

The  great  authors,  those  who  have  written  the 
living  words  which  never  die,  write  in  simple 
diction,  use  language  as  a  means  to  an  end,  not 
to  make  a  display  of  it. 

Many  years  ago  a  then  somewhat  unknown 
man  by  the  name  of  Daniel  DeFoe  made  a  story 
out  of  the  experiences  of  a  shipwrecked  sailor 
and  called  his  hero  "Robinson  Crusoe."  For  a 
generation  this  narrative  was  read  by  youngsters, 
and  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  children's  book.  To- 
day it  has  passed  beyond  the  juvenile  class  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  pure  and 
ii8 


SIMPLICITY 


simple  English  narrative,  having  a  place  in  the 
libraries  of  the  world. 

Lincoln  was  not  the  only  orator  at  Gettysburg. 
Competing  with  him — if  I  may  put  it  that  way — 
was  one  of  America's  greatest  scholars;  yet  the 
simple  words  of  Lincoln  have  become  an  English 
classic,  and  thousands  of  people  can  recite  the 
whole  speech  from  memory,  while  the  words  of 
the  scholar  are  almost  forgotten,  and  not  one  in 
ten  thousand  of  the  men  of  to-day  know  what  he 
said;  in  fact,  most  of  them  do  not  know  that  he 
spoke  at  all. 

Simphcity  lives.  Its  opposite  dies  young. 
Great  men  of  every  class  are  simple  and  their 
reputations  are  built  upon  simplicity.  They  not 
only  understand  what  they  say,  but  they  say  it 
so  that  others  understand  it. 

Education  by  itself  does  not  produce  an  edu- 
cated man.  Education  is  simply  one  of  the  ele- 
ments which  go  to  round  out  a  man  and  make 
him  a  better  citizen,  enabling  him  to  accomplish 
better  results.  Education,  academically  speak- 
ing, is  not  necessarily  simple.  It  is  more  or 
less  complex.  Therefore  the  educated  man  of 
use  in  the  world  has  mixed  simplicity  with  his 
learning,  that  it  may  be  in  a  condition  to  be  as- 
similated. 

119 


SIMPLICITY 


Not  what  we  know,  but  what  we  do  with  what 
we  know,  counts,  and  we  cannot  distribute  either 
learning  or  experience,  or  use  them  to  advantage, 
unless  we  have  prepared  them  to  meet  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  times,  made  them  so  that  they  are 
of  use. 

The  greatest  leveling  power  in  the  world,  that 
which  makes  things  good  for  something,  is  com- 
mon simplicity  mixed  with  common  sense.  The 
two  are  practically  synonymous,  for  one  cannot 
live  without  the  other.  Where  they  don't  exist, 
all  the  learning  in  the  world,  and  all  the  experi- 
ence possible  for  one  to  obtain,  are  like  so  much 
gold  buried  beyond  the  reach  of  man. 

Be  simple,  be  clear.  Don't  swallow  a  diction- 
ary and  exhale  words,  which,  like  dust,  blind  the 
eye  and  clog  the  ear. 


120 


RESPECT  YOURSELF 

THERE  are  several  good  and  sufficient  reasons 
why  you  should  be  yourself.  The  first  one 
is  that  you  cannot  be  anybody  else. 

I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  you  cannot  improve 
yourself,  that  you  cannot  grow  better,  that  you 
cannot  develop  your  character  and  your  ability. 

You  cannot  be  more  than  you  are  fundamen- 
tally. 

If  you  do  your  best,  you  are  the  equal  of  any 
man  who  does  his  best,  whether  he  is  your  em- 
ployer or  you  are  his. 

Respect  yourself.  If  you  do  not,  nobody  will 
respect  you. 

You,  not  the  world,  sets  your  pace. 

As  you  measure  yourself,  as  you  consider  your- 
self, as  you  respect  yourself,  so  are  you  likely 
to  be. 

I  am  aware  that  thousands  over-respect  them- 
selves, or  rather,  allow  conceit  to  control  them, 
but  I  am  speaking  of  the  great  majority  of  men 
as  they  run,  of  those  who  are  what  they  think 
they  are,  neither  more  nor  less. 

121 


RESPECT  YOURSELF 


Self-respect  breeds  self-confidence. 

Without  self-confidence,  without  proper  reali- 
zation of  your  abilities,  your  capacity  is  worth 
little  in  any  market. 

If  you  can  do  a  thing,  and  think  that  you 
can't,  you  are  not  likely  to  do  it.  If  you  think 
that  you  can  do  a  thing,  the  chances  are  that 
you  can. 

I  am  not  asking  anyone  to  be  too  self-confident 
or  to  carry  an  overload  of  self-respect,  but  I  am 
claiming  that  without  self-respect  you  will 
amount  to  little,  and  will  be  unable  properly  to 
use  even  the  ability  you  have. 

I  prefer  a  conceited  man,  if  he  has  some  foun- 
dation for  his  conceit,  to  one  who  belittles  him- 
self and  lives  under  the  handicap  of  unjustifiable 
modesty. 

The  men  who  "get  there,"  and  ''stay  there" 
when  they  get  there,  are  those  who  maintain 
proper  self-respect,  who  are  confident,  who  are 
persistent,  who  believe  in  themselves,  and  who 
know  how  to  impress  others  with  their  ability. 

If  you  know  a  thing,  feel  it  and  show  it. 

Many  a  failure  is  a  man  of  ability  who  has  not 
sufBcient  self-respect  or  self-confidence  to  use 
what  Nature  has  given  him  or  what  he  has  de- 
veloped.    His  very  ability  loads  him  down,  sim- 

122 


RESPECT  YOURSELF 


ply  because  he  does  not  distribute  it,  does  not 
use  it. 

Knowledge  of  one's  ability  is  second  only  in 
importance  to  the  ability  itself. 

Don't  go  around  with  a  *'chip  on  your  shoul- 
der" and  invite  people  to  knock  it  off;  but  if  the 
"chip"  is  yours,  and  it  rightly  belongs  on  your 
shoulder,  keep  it  there. 

Stand  up  in  your  boots;  the  boots  of  others 
may  not  fit  you. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  yourself;  if  you  are,  you 
will  be  afraid  of  everybody,  and  nobody  will  be 
afraid  of  you. 

You  are  the  owner  of  yourself,  and  what  you 
are  is  what  you  have  to  sell,  to  use,  to  develop. 
If  you  are  ashamed  of  yourself,  you  invite  criti- 
cism, abuse,  and  failure. 

If  you  would  be  respected,  respect  yourself. 


123 


REGULARITY 

THERE  is  a  man  on  our  street  who  has  added 
a  score  to  his  ''three  score  years  and  ten." 
His  step  is  firm,  his  body  erect,  and  his  eyes 
clear.  Ask  him  the  reason  why  and  he  will  re- 
ply :  "Fve  been  regular  in  my  habits.  I  haven't 
overeaten.  I've  taken  plenty  of  sleep.  I've 
neither  overworked  nor  loafed.  I  rise  at  about 
the  same  hour  every  morning,  breakfast  on  plain 
food,  do  my  work,  eat  a  hearty  but  plain  dinner, 
attend  to  my  duties  in  the  afternoon,  have  a  light 
supper,  and  go  to  bed  at  a  reasonable  hour.  I've 
worried  some,  because  all  men  do,  but  I  haven't 
made  a  specialty  of  it.  I've  found  that  most  of 
the  things  about  which  I  worried  didn't  happen." 

Ask  the  business  man  of  success,  or  the  profes- 
sional giant,  to  what  he  owes  his  progress  pri- 
marily and  he  will  tell  you  that,  while  he  is  not 
an  automatic  worker,  and  does  not  run  by  the 
clock,  he  lives  a  normal  life,  neither  loafing  nor 
spurting,  and  he  does  each  day  the  work  of  the 
day,  not  doing  to-morrow's  work  to-day,  or  to- 
day's work  to-morrow. 

While  many  of  us  owe  our  weaknesses  to  pre- 
124 


REGULARITY 


natal  causes,  the  majority  of  physical  and  mental 
troubles  may  be  avoided  if  one  will  live  normally, 
eat  well,  sleep  well,  and  w^ork  steadily,  taking 
plenty  of  exercise,  seldom  overworking,  and 
never  stagnating. 

More  men  rust  out  than  wear  out. 

The  well  oiled  and  cared  for,  constantly  run- 
ning machine  lasts  longer  than  that  which  is  left 
out  in  the  rain  and  run  only  at  intermittent 
periods. 

It  has  been  said  that  men  without  strong  con- 
stitutions, who  take  care  of  themselves,  Hve 
longer  than  those  who  are  naturally  rugged  and 
who  abuse  themselves,  running  chances  with  both 
their  mental  and  physical  machinery,  driving 
them  to  the  utmost.  Yet  it  is  probably  true  that 
lack  of  work  and  lack  of  exercise  are  more  dis- 
astrous than  too  much  of  either. 

Half  of  the  troubles  of  middle  life  are  due 
to  youthful  indiscretions,  to  over-exercise,  to 
abuses  of  every  kind,  which  may  not  seem  to  af- 
fect one  while  he  is  young,  but  which  strain  the 
machinery  of  the  body  and  shorten  the  period  of 
its  normal  activity. 

Treat  your  body  and  your  mind  as  you  would 
a  machine,  if  you  wish  to  have  them  perform 
their  functions  and  accomplish  to  their  full  ca- 
125 


REGULARITY 


pacity.  You  may  ill-treat  them  for  a  while,  and 
they  may  appear  to  respond  to  your  unfair  de- 
mands, but,  sooner  or  later,  lack  of  care  will  snap 
a  spring  or  a  bolt,  and  the  whole  machine  will  be 
affected,  so  that  it  will  refuse  to  run  steadily,  and, 
finally,  to  start  at  all. 

Don't  labor  under  the  delusion  that  you  can 
overwork  to-day  and  rest  to-morrow.  Do  two 
days'  work  in  two  days,  not  in  one.  An  hour  of 
strain  is  more  harmful  than  a  day  of  steady  labor. 
Moderation  and  regularity  stand  for  success. 


126 


QUICK  WIT  AND  IGNORANCE 

HE  was  only  a  boy  of  sixteen;  perhaps  a  year 
older  or  a  year  younger;  it  doesn't  matter. 
He  came  from  the  country,  and  he  was  as  green 
as  the  fields  of  his  father's  farm;  green  in  ex- 
perience, green  because  he  hadn't  reflected  all  the 
colors  of  the  world.  Yet  there  was  something 
to  him,  something  sure  to  grow  and  to  become 
worth  while,  that  sort  of  something  which  makes 
its  mark  and  marks  the  way  for  others  to  follow. 
He  applied  for  a  position.  The  merchant  liked 
his  looks  and  began  to  question  him.  Among 
other  things,  he  said:  "What  compensation  do 
you  expect?" 

It  happened  that  the  word  "compensation"  had 
never  come  into  the  young  man's  vocabulary. 
He  could  guess  what  it  meant,  but  he  was  not 
sure.  His  quick  wit  came  to  his  assistance.  He 
pulled  himself  together  with  a  snap,  and  said: 
"H  you  don't  mind,  sir,  I'd  like  to  think  it  over 
for  an  hour  or  so.  May  I  come  back  later  in 
the  afternoon?" 

The  merchant,  of  course,  gave  his  consent. 
The  boy  went  to  the  public  library,  consulted  the 

127 


QUICK  WIT  AND  IGNORANCE 


dictionary,  and  found  that  the  word  compensa- 
tion meant  wages  or  salary.  He  ran  back  to  the 
store,  primed  with  Hve  knowledge,  rushed  into 
the  merchant's  presence,  and  exclaimed:  "After 
thinking  over  that  matter  of  compensation  (he 
had  practised  the  word),  I  am  perfectly  willing 
to  leave  it  to  you." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  business  man;  *1'11 
give  you  seven  dollars  a  week." 

The  next  morning  the  boy  was  at  work.  Ten 
years  later  he  was  treasurer  of  this  corporation, 
handling  three  million  a  year. 

The  same  initiative  that  had  pulled  him  out  of 
that  tight  place  when  he  was  applying  for  a  job 
stood  by  him  through  all  of  his  work.  He  took 
hold  of  every  job  as  though  each  job  was  all  the 
job  in  the  world,  studied  it,  analyzed  it,  worked 
in  and  around  it,  tried  to  see  how  he  could  system- 
atize it  and  make  it  more  effective. 

Naturally  his  employers  began  to  notice  him, 
for  they  found  that  he  did  things,  not  in  an  auto- 
matic way,  or  necessarily  just  as  he  had  been 
told  to  do  them,  but  that  he  applied  his  own 
methods  to  those  of  others. 

The  foregoing  narrative  is  a  true  story,  told 
me  by  one  of  my  friends.  Thousands  like  it  are 
equally  true. 

128 


QUICK  WIT  AND  IGNORANCE 


It's  the  man,  not  the  job.  Success  is  vested  in 
us,  not  in  our  surroundings,  although  environ- 
ment plays  an  important  part  on  the  stage  of 
business. 

Nobody  ever  succeeded  wholly  because  of  luck, 
or  because  of  unasked  for  and  unworked  for  op- 
portunity, or  because  of  outside  aid.  All  these 
things  help. 

The  better  our  environment,  the  better,  gen- 
erally speaking,  we  are;  but  the  best  surround- 
ings, unexpected  and  great  luck,  and  a  large 
amount  of  assistance  will  be  of  no  permanent 
value  unless  we  ourselves,  working  from  within 
ourselves,  exert  ourselves  and  make  ourselves 
meet  conditions,  rather  than  wait  for  conditions 
to  meet  us. 

It  is  "up  to  you,"  my  reader,  not  "up  to"  con- 
ditions, not  "up  to"  surroundings,  not  "up  to" 
luck,  not  "up  to"  opportunity,  but  all,  or  nearly 
all,  "up  to  you." 

If  you  do  your  best  when  you  are  on  a  clear 
road  or  on  one  with  handicaps,  you  will  probably 
succeed.  If  you  don't  do  your  best,  you  will 
fail,  even  though  surrounded  by  opportunity  and 
surfeited  with  luck.  You  control  your  place  in 
the  world. 


129 


USING  THE  LIBRARY 

COMPARATIVELY  few  people,  even  city 
dwellers  who  live  within  the  shadow  of  a 
great  public  library,  have  much  reahzation  of  the 
tremendous  value  of  these  institutions.  They 
look  upon  a  library  as  a  building  containing  a 
collection  of  books,  largely  confined  to  fiction, 
books  of  entertainment  rather  than  of  informa- 
tion. 

Every  library,  even  the  smallest,  carries  the 
dictionary  and  one  or  more  sets  of  encyclopedias, 
and  on  the  shelves  of  the  larger  libraries  are 
thousands  of  books  upon  every  conceivable  sub- 
ject, and  printed  in  all  the  modern  languages. 

Practically  all  libraries  carry  a  card  index, 
with  many  cross  references,  one  set  of  cards 
headed  with  the  authors'  names,  another  with  the 
titles.  Many  libraries  have  government,  state, 
city,  and  town  reports,  and  books  of  statistics, 
while  the  larger  ones  cover  the  entire  world  of 
literature,  art,  science,  and  industry. 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  desire  information 
upon  a  certain  subject,  the  manufacture  of  ink, 
for  example.  In  every  large  library  there  are 
130 


USING  THE  LIBRARY 


from  one  to  fifty  books  giving  information  aboui 
the  ink  industry,  containing  formulas  and  other 
matter  of  importance.  These  appear  in  the  card 
index  under  the  general  title  of  "Ink." 

Perhaps  you  are  working  for  a  paper  manu- 
facturer. I  do  not  know  how  many  books  are 
devoted  to  this  subject,  but  probably  paper  is 
mentioned  in  over  a  hundred  volumes,  and  in 
them  will  be  found  a  complete  history  of  the 
trade,  besides  government  statistics. 

Many  libraries  carry  what  is  known  as  "Poole's 
Index,"  a  volume  which  is  kept  very  closely  up 
to  date.  Here  the  different  magazine  articles  are 
indexed  and  the  name,  volume,  and  date  of  the 
publications  containing  them  are  given.  Ex- 
tremely vital  information  is  obtained  in  this  way. 

Writers  and  lecturers  use  the  library  continu- 
ously, for  in  no  other  way  can  they  easily  obtain 
valuable  and  authoritative  data. 

The  average  librarian,  although  not,  as  a  rule, 
a  business  man,  is  extremely  well  posted  and  has 
at  his  tongue's  end,  or  can  easily  locate,  what  has 
been  printed  on  any  subject.  It  is  one  of  his 
duties  to  furnish  advice  and  information,  and  he 
will  gladly  do  so. 

A  friend  of  mine  recently  was  called  upon  to 
deliver  an  address  before  a  business  organization, 
131 


USING  THE  LIBRARY 


Upon  a  subject  with  which  he  was  not  famiHar. 
He  entered  the  library,  consulted  the  librarian 
and  the  card  index,  and  in  twenty  minutes  had 
more  than  twenty-five  volumes  and  pamphlets 
before  him  giving  information  upon  his  subject. 
In  a  couple  of  hours  he  was  able  to  dehver  an 
intelligent  and  valuable  address. 

Some  time  ago  a  friend  was  visiting  me.  I  had 
been  asked  to  speak  before  a  dental  society,  and 
as  my  guest  was  a  very  good  speaker,  I  notified 
the  president  and  he  w^as  invited  to  sit  at  the 
head  table.  He  had  only  an  hour's  notice,  and 
this  time  he  spent  at  the  public  library.  That 
evening  he  delivered  an  address  which  seemed  to 
indicate  that  he  was  familiar  with  dentistry. 

With  very  little  effort  you  can  learn  how  to 
use  the  library  for  your  own  benefit,  and  for 
your  employer's  as  well,  for  you  can  place  before 
him  data  which  will  be  of  great  value  to  him. 

The  library  is  the  people's  storehouse  of  infor- 
mation, which,  unfortunately,  is  not  used  as  it 
should  be. 


132 


THE   QUALITY  OF   FRIENDSHIP 

ADAGES,  old  and  new,  average  good,  and  the 
concentrated  advice  we  find  on  post  cards 
is  usually  worth  following.  Occasionally,  how- 
ever, we  run  across  samples  from  the  work  of 
the  alleged  sage  like  the  following,  which  I  read 
at  the  top  of  a  column  in  a  leading  newspaper : 

"Associate  with  persons  who  know  more  than 
you  and  who  are  better  than  you." 

Do  it,  if  you  can;  but  you  can't. 

The  old  idea  that  opposites  attract  and  likes 
repel  is  sheer  nonsense. 

We  associate  with  those  we  like,  and  we  like 
only  those  who  are  like  us ;  at  least,  in  essentials. 
I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  a  college  professor 
cannot  enjoy  the  company  of  his  shoemaker,  for 
the  latter  may  know  more  about  some  things  than 
does  the  former.  They  would  not  be  friends, 
however,  if  they  were  not  alike  in  many  respects. 

The  good  man  will  not  associate  intimately 
with  the  bad  man.  He  may  try  to  help  the  un- 
fortunate ;  but,  as  long  as  a  man  is  bad,  he  can- 
not have  friends  that  are  good  or  good  friends. 
The  very  moment  that  he  reforms,  or  sincerely 
133 


THE  QUALITY  OF  FRIENDSHIP 


attempts  to  do  so,  he  is  on  a  par  with  those  who 
do  not  need  reformation,  and  he  can  choose  his 
associates  and  friends  from  among  the  better 
class ;  but,  so  long  as  he  is  evil  in  mind  and  action, 
he  can  have  no  intimate  friends  among  men  of 
character. 

Whether  or  not  all  men  are  born  equal,  it  is 
obvious  that  all  men  do  not  have  an  equal  chance 
in  this  world  and  that  environment  has  more  to 
do  with  crime  than  has  inheritance. 

As  long  as  our  associates  are  evil,  we  shall  be 
like  them;  and  we  cannot  get  away  from  them 
until  we  begin  to  establish  a  good  character  for 
ourselves. 

The  platform  of  democracy  is  good  will  to- 
ward everybody,  and  a  willingness  to  help  the 
world  at  large.  There  is,  however,  no  reason 
why  the  man  who  loves  the  classics  should  not 
select  his  friends  from  among  classical  scholars, 
or  why  those  of  any  particular  bent  should  asso- 
ciate intimately  with  people  having  opposite  ideas 
and  ambitions.  This  does  not  mean  that  one  class 
is  above  another.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  the 
exercise  of  preference.  We  are  friendly  with 
those  who  are  like  us,  who  have  a  common  in- 
terest; and  friendship  is  built  upon  likes,  not 
upon  dislikes. 

134 


THE  QUALITY  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

If  you  would  have  good  friends,  be  good  your- 
self. Unless  you  are,  or  are  striving  to  be,  you 
cannot  expect  to  associate  on  intimate  terms  with 
those  who  possess  better  and  nobler  characters. 

I  hope  the  reader  will  not  misunderstand  me, 
and  think  that  I  am  discriminating  in  favor  of 
the  classes  and  against  the  masses.  I  am  not.  I 
am  simply  making  the  broad  claim  that  the  good 
and  the  good  are  friendly,  and  the  bad  and  the 
bad  keep  together. 

If  your  character  has  not  been  what  it  should 
be,  reform;  and  during  your  reformation  you 
will  find  the  hands  of  good  people  held  out  to 
you. 

You  are  good  as  soon  as  you  begin  to  try  to 
be  good,  even  though  you  may  not  fully  succeed. 

Friends  you  must  have,  and  they  will  be  like 
you. 

God  and  Nature  gave  you  the  right  to  choose 
the  path  you  will  follow. 

You  are  master  of  yourself. 


135 


PROSPECTS 

REAL  men,  men  worth  while,  hve  both  in  the 
present  and  in  the  future.  They  render  full 
duty  to  the  present,  and  consider,  and  even  dream 
of,  the  future,  always  without  neglecting  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  the  present. 

What  we  do  has  two  distinct  values:  first, 
what  it  brings  in  immediate  returns;  and,  sec- 
ondly, what  it  may  give  to  us  in  days  to  come. 

If  what  we  do  only  satisfies  the  appetite  for 
the  time  being,  it  is  but  sufficient  unto  the  day 
and  for  that  only.  If,  besides  giving  the  neces- 
sary daily  food,  it  makes  one  better  able  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  to-morrow,  it  then  has  accumu- 
lative value  and  becomes  an  asset  of  the  future, 
as  well  as  of  the  present. 

The  great  business  men,  those  who  have  built 
our  national  industries,  work  in  the  present  an- 
ticipating future  results. 

No  business  man,  no  man  of  perspicacity,  ex- 
pects an  innovation  to  pay  at  the  start.  He  deals 
in  futures,  rather  than  in  transients.  He  looks 
upon  probabilities  as  investments,  which  he  hopes 
to  be  able  to  cash  in  in  days  to  come. 
136 


PROSPECTS 

The  improvident  man  seldom  anticipates.  So 
long  as  he  has  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  he  is  satis- 
fied. He  cares  nothing  for  the  future,  and  ex- 
pects the  future  to  care  for  him.  It  won't.  If 
disaster  does  not  overcome  him,  he  glories  in  the 
knowledge  that  he  is  as  well  off,  apparently,  as 
is  the  provident  man;  but,  unfortunately,  all  of 
us  are  pretty  sure  either  to  run  into  trouble  or 
have  trouble  run  into  us.  If  we  do  not  anticipate 
disaster  or  accident,  and  prepare  for  it,  we  are  in 
no  condition  to  stand  it,  or  to  overcome  it,  when 
it  arrives. 

Looking  ahead,  preparing  for  a  probable  or 
possible  future,  for  rain  or  shine  on  the  morrow, 
not  only  enables  one  better  to  meet  it,  but  en- 
hances his  present  commercial  and  other  values, 
for  it  allows  him  to  deal  both  in  present  com- 
modities and  in  future  prospects,  to  live  com- 
fortably in  the  present  and  to  be  prepared  for 
what  may  come. 

He  to  whom  the  future  does  not  appeal,  he 
who  does  not  anticipate  the  morrow,  he  who  has 
no  thought  of  prospects,  he  who  lives  from  day 
to  day,  is  no  better  than  the  insect  who  lives  and 
dies  on  the  day  of  his  birth. 

Prospects,  then,  are  as  worthy  of  consideration, 
and  are  of  the  same  importance,  as  are  the  things 
137 


PROSPECTS 

of  the  present,  and  it  is  just  as  necessary  to  pro- 
vide for  the  future  as  it  is  to  forage  for  our 
daily  bread. 

With  feet  firmly  planted  upon  the  rock  of  to- 
day, reach  out  both  of  your  arms  into  the  great 
future,  never  detaching  yourself  wholly  from 
your  present  anchorage.  Do  not,  however,  for- 
ever stay  anchored.  When  the  sea  of  your  life 
is  placid  and  safe,  slip  your  moorings  and  ven- 
ture into  the  ocean  of  reasonable  chance. 

Prospect,  look  ahead,  if  you  would  use  the  fu- 
ture to  advantage.  Be  a  man  of  present  action, 
never  without  a  vision. 

He  of  the  present  may  not  starve.  He  of  both 
the  future  and  the  present  will  live. 

Be  cautious,  but  unafraid.  Forget  neither 
present  duty  nor  future  prospects.  Live  to-day, 
and  think  about  to-morrow. 

Don't  stay  *'put." 


138 


PROFITABLE  ONENESS 

HE  who  thinks  he  can  do  everything  may  fool 
himself,  but  he  does  not  fool  anybody  else. 

No  man  can  do  two  things  as  well  as  he  can  do 
one  thing.  The  strength  of  success  is  in  the  sin- 
gleness of  it.  Every  successful  book,  every  suc- 
cessful play,  has  one  leading  character.  If  it  had 
more,  it  would  not  be  successful. 

On  the  field  of  battle  there  is  only  one  com- 
manding officer. 

One  blow  on  the  head  of  a  nail  will  drive  it 
farther  into  the  plank  than  a  dozen  blows  on  the 
side  of  it,  and  no  two  hammers  can  hit  the  same 
nailhead  at  the  same  time. 

The  rifle  bullet  reaches  the  mark.  Scattering 
shot  brings  down  only  small  game. 

He  who  knows  many  things  equally  well — as- 
suming that  this  is  possible — is  not  properly 
equipped  to  fight  the  battle  of  life. 

Successful  men  know  many  things  well  and 
one  thing  very  well. 

The  boy  who  seems  to  have  no  one  single  tend- 
ency, who  does  not  seem  to  enjoy  a  paramount 
desire,  who  has  no  decided  preference  for  any- 
139 


PROFITABLE  ONENESS 


thing,  may  earn  his  Hving,  but  not  much  more 
than  his  living. 

The  successful  man,  while  not  ignorant  of 
general  things,  has  a  pronounced  proficiency  in 
some  one  direction.  The  eye  specialist  may  not 
be  a  good  general  operator,  and  the  marvelous 
surgeon  is  not  likely  to  be  a  good  family  physi- 
cian. 

Do  not  think  from  what  I  have  said  that  the 
fundamentals  of  life,  including  a  general  educa- 
tion, are  not  necessary  for  specialization.  The 
electrical  expert,  enjoying  a  salary  of  many  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year,  limits  his  practice  largely  to 
electrical  matter,  but  he  is  well  rounded  out  in 
general  science.  If  he  had  not  been  so  trained, 
his  mind  would  not  have  been  sufficiently  devel- 
oped to  become  an  electric  specialist. 

In  order  to  travel  beyond  the  ordinary  line  of 
success  and  accomplish  more  than  little  things, 
w^e  must  have  a  general  idea  of  the  world  at  large 
and  not  be  unfamiliar  with  its  art,  its  science,  its 
literature,  and  its  business;  but  no  one  can  ef- 
fectually practise  any  profession,  any  art,  or  any 
one  line  of  trade  unless  he  knows  that  one  thing 
better  than  all  else. 

The  versatile  man  may  be  good  company  and 
he  may  satisfactorily  manage  a  whist  party  and 
140 


PROFITABLE  ONENESS 


personally  conduct  a  cross-country  tramp,  but 
he  will  never  successfully  plough  any  field  pro- 
ducing a  profitable  harvest. 

Young  man  and  young  woman,  acquire  a  good 
general  knowledge.  Do  not  be  ignorant  of  those 
things  which  concern  life  at  large,  as  well  as  your 
own.  You  wall  find  much  to  interest  you,  much 
which  will  help  you  in  your  special  work,  which 
will  give  you  a  broader  outlook  and  make  you  a 
more  companionable  person.  When  you  have 
obtained  this  general  information  and  have  be- 
come familiar  with  current  affairs,  begin  to  spe- 
cialize. Make  up  your  mind  what  subject  in- 
terests you  more  than  any  other,  and  then  ac- 
quire all  possible  information  about  it  and  gain 
all  possible  experience. 

Learn  to  do  something  better  than  all  else. 
Stand  for  something.    Be  known  as  somebody. 


141 


'^GETTING  BY" 

I  AM  sorry  to  say  it — I  wish  it  were  not  true — 
but  about  ninety  per  cent,  of  boys  and  girls  in 
school,  yes,  college  undergraduates,  and  those 
employed  in  the  business  world,  seem  to  be  ob- 
sessed with  the  idea  that,  if  they  ''get  by" — that 
is,  do  not  fail  to  pass  examinations  and  do  not 
subject  themselves  to  criticism  while  at  work — 
they  have  done  all  that  is  to  be  expected  of  them. 
They  are,  therefore,  satisfied  with  themselves,  al- 
though they  are  usually  unsatisfactory  to  others. 

The  "get-by"  man  is  nothing  more  or  less  than 
an  automaton.  He  does  only  what  he  has  to  do, 
often  grudgingly,  seldom  with  any  interest,  and 
"makes  good"  at  par,  never  with  a  premium.  In 
school  he  may  not  be  at  the  bottom  of  the  class, 
but  he  is  never  near  the  head  of  it.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  great  majority,  never  good  at  anything, 
seldom  bad.  He  does  not  swim,  except  in  emer- 
gencies, but  floats  along  the  River  of  Life,  fol- 
lowing the  current. 

He  does  not  know  himself,  because  he  is  too 
lazy  to  become  acquainted  with  what  he  really  is ; 
142 


"GETTING  BY" 


and  nobody  knows  him,  because  he  makes  no  ef- 
fort to  get  close  to  anybody. 

He  "gets  by,"  it  is  true.  If  at  school  or  col- 
lege, he  receives  his  diploma  or  his  degree  with  a 
hundred  or  a  thousand  others.  He  does  not  im- 
press his  teachers  or  his  professors.  He  counts 
one  on  the  roll,  and  stands  up  with  the  members 
of  his  class  to  receive  his  parchment.  Then  he 
goes  out  into  the  world  and  obtains  a  moderate 
salary,  and  to  him  never  come  more  than  small 
promotions  and  slight  increases  of  income. 

He  may  be  able  to  support  a  family.  He  is 
not  a  good  citizen.  He  is  known  as  "John  Smith, 
of  No.  I  Smith  Avenue,  Smithtown."  His 
neighbors  know  that  he  is  a  neighbor.  The  tax 
collector  sends  him  an  annual  bill,  usually  for 
not  more  than  a  poll  tax.  He  is  one  of  many  em- 
ployees. He  is  noticed  when  he  is  late,  and  he  is 
"called  down"  by  his  employer  if  he  makes  a 
mistake.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  receives  a 
dollar  or  two  increase  in  salary,  and  often  no 
increase. 

He  may  be  respectable,  and,  perhaps,  have  no 
large  or  small  vices.  He  may  behave  himself, 
and  usually  he  does  not  figure  in  the  pohce  court. 
He  "gets  by" — that  is  all. 

I  ana  aware  that  most  of  us  are  ordinary.  We 
143 


"GETTING  BY' 


have  average  ability,  and  only  a  few  of  us  can 
ever  obtain  a  commanding  position;  but  there 
isn't  a  man  with  normal  faculties  who  cannot  by 
perseverance  attract  his  employer's  attention, 
who  cannot  by  the  exercise  of  ambition  become 
known  in  his  community,  and  stand  in  a  class 
above  that  in  which  are  the  rank  and  file  of 
men. 

The  man  who  tries  to  succeed,  who  does  his 
best,  who  makes  the  most  of  himself  and  of 
what  he  has,  whether  it  is  much  or  little,  who  is 
always  on  the  lookout,  who  husbands  his  re- 
sources and  invests  them  (I  am  not  here  referring 
to  money)  so  that  they  will  pay  the  largest  divi- 
dend, is  a  successful  man,  for  he  has  done  all 
that  he  could. 

No  man  is  successful,  no  man  has  a  right  to  be 
satisfied  with  himself,  if  he  "gets  by,"  and  does 
only  that. 

Success  consists  in  doing  your  best,  in  making 
the  most  of  yourself,  in  getting  out  of  yourself 
all  that  you  have  in  yourself,  whether  you  are  an 
under-employee  or  a  commanding  employer. 
Less  than  doing  your  best  is  failure. 

If  you  have  the  ability  to  stand  at  the  head  of 
your  class,  you  are  a  miserable,  contemptible  fail- 
ure if  you  do  not  rank  number  one  in  your  school 
144 


'GETTING  BY' 


or  college,  provided  you  can  do  so  without  the 
sacrifice  of  your  health  or  of  better  things. 

If  you  are  capable  of  occupying  the  position  of 
head  bookkeeper,  and  you  do  not,  you  are  a  fail- 
ure, unless  there  are  insurmountable  handicaps  in 
your  path. 

^'Get  by"— and  further. 


145 


GETTING  TOGETHER 

I  DON'T  care  who  or  what  you  are,  whether 
you  own  and  manage  a  railroad,  are  com- 
mander of  an  army  of  industry,  are  the  driver  of 
a  coal  team,  or  a  digger  of  the  soil,  you,  individ- 
ually, amount  to  mighty  little.  Your  success  in 
life,  no  matter  how  great  or  how  small  it  may  be, 
is  due,  first,  to  what  you  have  done  yourself,  and, 
secondly,  to  what  you  have  taken  from  others. 

I  don't  mean  that  you  have  robbed  others,  but 
that  you  have  exchanged  what  you  know  for 
what  others  know,  have  gotten  together  with 
others,  have  swapped  experiences,  have  both 
taught  and  learned. 

The  process  of  getting  together  is  responsible 
for  every  kind  of  progress.  The  hermit  is  use- 
less to  himself  and  a  disgrace  to  civilization.  He 
may  receive,  but  he  does  not  distribute.  He 
hoards,  takes  everything  unto  himself,  gives  out 
nothing.  He  has,  at  most,  the  semblance  of  a 
brain.  He  occupies  just  so  much  space,  and  the 
world  would  be  better  off  if  he  would  seat  him- 
self in  an  oarless  rowboat,  drift  out  with  the 
tide,  and  tumble  into  the  accommodating  ocean. 
14a 


GETTING  TOGETHER 


Every  trade,  every  business,  every  profession, 
has  an  organization.  The  members  get  together 
and  play  games  of  conversation,  with  both  sides 
winning.  Each  works  for  himself  and  for  others. 
Each  gives,  and  each  takes. 

The  individual  man  is  not  a  man.  The  com- 
posite man  is  a  man. 

The  marvelous  operations  performed  by  our 
great  surgeons,  the  discovery  of  antitoxins  and 
other  life-saving  serums,  are  not  due  to  the  skill 
or  proficiency  of  any  one  expert,  but  to  composite 
knowledge,  composite  experiment,  composite  ex- 
perience. Physicians  get  together.  Each  relates 
his  own  experience;  each  takes  from  the  others 
their  experiences.  The  patient  is  not  prescribed 
for  by  the  physician  at  his  side,  for  his  doctor 
brings  to  him  the  result  of  the  medical  experi- 
ence of  the  whole  world.  The  sick  man  is  cured, 
not  by  his  family  physician,  but  by  what  that 
physician  represents. 

The  great  lawyer  wins  a  case.  His  argument 
before  the  jury  is  unanswerable.  It  seems  as  if 
this  barrister  carried  all  the  law  and  precedent  of 
the  past  and  the  present  in  that  one  little  head  of 
his.  Such  is  not  the  case.  Before  facing  that 
jury  the  lawyer  browsed  among  the  law  books, 
consulted  with  his  partners  or  with  others,  and 
147 


GETTING  TOGETHER 


brought  to  the  court-room,  not  altogether  what 
he  knew,  but  what  he  knew  how  to  use  of  what 
others  knew.  He  got  together  with  others,  and 
this  getting  together  was  responsible  for  his  suc- 
cess. 

The  great  merchant  succeeds,  not  entirely  be- 
cause of  his  personal  ability,  but  because  he  has 
a  brain  broad  enough  to  absorb  the  principles 
which  others  have  used;  and  his  factory  and  of- 
fice are  run,  not  under  his  individual  direction, 
but  under  the  leadership  of  composite  intelligence 
and  composite  experience. 

The  great  discoverer  may  think  that  he  has 
found  something  entirely  new.  He  has  not.  He 
had  an  original  vision,  but  back  of  it,  back  of  his 
own  individual  eyes,  were  the  findings  of  others. 

If  you  would  get  anywhere,  get  together. 


148 


INITIATIVE 

MR.  TIMOTHY  E.  BYRNES,  one  of  New 
England's  most  prominent  lawyers,  until 
recently  vice-president  of  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  in  an  inspirational 
talk  before  one  of  my  classes,  said :  'Initiative 
is  imagination  put  into  action,  dreams  put  to 
work." 

Man,  including  every  class  of  worker,  may  be 
divided  into  two  distinct  classes :  those  who  take 
the  initiative,  and  those  who  do  not. 

Both  may  be  faithful.  Both  may  do,  or  think 
that  they  do,  their  best.  Both  may  be  ambitious. 
Both  may  desire  to  occupy  a  high  place  in  the 
world;  but  he  who  takes  the  initiative,  who 
thinks  for  himself,  who  does  things  which  he  is 
not  told  to  do,  will  outrank  the  man  without 
initiative,  even  though  the  latter  may  possess 
greater  ability  and  be  filled  to  the  brim  with  aca- 
demic or  technical  knowledge. 

It  is  not  what  we  have  in  the  way  of  ability  or 
experience  which  counts  so  much  in  the  grand 
roundup,  but  what  we  do  with  what  we  have, 
how  much  we  develop  our  possessions  and  make 
them  work  for  us  and  for  others. 
149 


INITIATIVE 


Two  young  men  occupy  similar  positions. 
Both  are  ambitious,  both  are  faithful,  both  are 
hard  workers ;  but  one  does  only  what  he  is  told 
to  do,  automatically  performs  his  duties;  while 
the  other  does  what  his  fellow  is  doing,  and  adds 
to  it  initiative.  He  thinks  while  he  works,  con- 
nects his  hands  with  his  brain. 

Labor  in  itself,  essential  as  it  is,  does  not  ac- 
complish more  than  the  result  of  routine,  unless 
back  of  it  is  that  something  called  initiative,  that 
ability  to  make  everything  count,  to  see,  to  think, 
to  analyze,  to  differentiate,  to  make  every  part  of 
one's  self  a  harmonious  working  wheel  in  the 
machinery  of  life. 

All  of  us  cannot  take  the  initiative  to  an  equal 
degree.  Some  of  us,  even  though  we  may  possess 
ability,  do  not  seem  to  have  the  capacity  to  use 
it.    That  is  unfortunate. 

Notwithstanding  this  condition,  however,  I 
think  that  the  majority  of  us  can,  if  we  will, 
handle  ourselves  so  that  what  we  possess  will 
pay  a  larger  dividend  and  carry  us  from  the  bot- 
tom to  the  top,  or  near  to  it. 

I  am  inclined  to  think,  and  I  am  basing  my 

opinion  upon  experience,  that  most  people  can 

take  the  initiative  if  they  will,  and  that  they  do 

not  do  so  because  they  are  lazy,  unwilling  to  make 

150 


INITIATIVE 


mental  effort,  although  they  are  not  deficient  in 
automatic  action. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  laziness :  physical  and 
mental.    Either  makes  for  failure. 

The  physically  lazy  man  never  accomplishes 
anything;  and  the  physically  active  man,  unless 
his  mind  is  alert,  does  not  manipulate  what  he 
has  to  advantage. 

The  man  of  action,  who  has  no  ambition,  is 
handicapped  at  the  start  and  all  along  the  line; 
and  he  of  ambition,  who  does  not  take  action,  is 
as  badly  off  on  any  field  of  endeavor. 

Success  depends  upon  both  ambition,  which  al- 
lows one  to  dream,  and  activity,  which  turns  the 
dream  into  reality.  Unless  the  dreamer  possesses 
the  power  of  action,  he  imagines  great  things 
which  never  exist,  and,  large  though  his  mental 
capacity  may  be,  his  dreams  never  come  true. 

Altogether  too  many  men  look  up  into  the  sky 
and  forget  that  their  feet  tread  the  solid  earth; 
too  many  others  stoop  toward  the  ground  and 
never  see  the  sunshine  of  opportunity. 


ISI 


THE  OIL  POURER 

THE  mountainous  waves  of  the  ocean  cannot 
be  subdued.  They  roll  at  the  will  of  the 
storm  and  the  wind.  Human  ingenuity,  how- 
ever, has  discovered  that  pouring  oil  upon  storm- 
tossed  water,  while  it  will  not  conquer  the  roll- 
ing of  the  waves,  will  prevent  them  from  break- 
ing. 

When  you  are  before  your  customer,  he  is 
your  superior  for  the  time  being,  because  you  are 
more  anxious  to  obtain  his  trade  than  he  is  to 
give  it  to  you.  He  may  be  your  inferior  socially; 
he  may  be  uneducated;  he  may  not  be  a  gentle- 
man; but,  if  you  want  his  business,  you  must 
cater  to  him,  for  he  will  not  cater  to  you. 

I  am  not  asking  anyone  to  give  up  his  self-re- 
spect, or  to  cringe  before  insult;  but  I  am  saying 
to  you  salesmen,  both  young  and  old,  that,  if  you 
would  gain  trade  and  hold  it,  you  must  recognize 
the  position  of  your  customer  and  treat  him  as 
a  gentleman,  whether  he  is  one  or  not. 

Comparatively  few  men,  even  the  most  irri- 
table, can  maintain  ungentlemanly  conduct  in  the 
presence  of  a  courteous  and  painstaking  salesman. 

153 


THE  OIL  POURER 


Courtesy  turns  away  wrath. 

Politeness  is  a  selling  asset. 

The  great  salesman,  yes,  the  great  man  in  every 
other  department  of  business,  is,  as  a  rule,  courte- 
ous even  to  his  inferiors.  He  began  in  the  ranks, 
but  he  was  so  obedient  to  orders,  so  respectful  to 
his  superior  officer,  that  subsequently  he  ex- 
changed the  gun  for  the  sword  and  commanded 
rather  than  was  commanded. 

When  you  are  alone  in  the  office,  or  in  front  of 
your  customer,  you,  and  you  only,  represent  the 
business.  You  are  the  proprietor-in-chief  for  the 
time  being.  What  you  do  and  what  you  say  will 
aid  or  compromise  the  house  with  which  you  are 
connected. 

The  majority  of  customers  or  callers  do  not 
meet  the  proprietor  or  the  head  of  the  depart- 
ment. You  come  between  them  and  higher  au- 
thority. They  judge  the  house  for  which  you 
work  by  you. 

No  matter  how  inferior  your  position  may  be, 
even  though  you  are  only  a  porter  or  an  office 
boy,  you  at  times  are  the  only  one  who  represents 
your  business.  If  you  are  courteous,  painstak- 
ing, and  apparently  interested  in  the  caller  or  cus- 
tomer, your  attitude  will  prepossess  him  in  favor 
of  both  your  goods  and  your  house.  If,  on  the 
153 


THE  OIL  POURER 


Other  hand,  you  are  discourteous,  brusque,  and 
indifferent,  you  will  antagonize  the  customer,  and 
this  antagonism  will  pass  beyond  you  andj  be  di- 
rected against  your  employer. 

You  may  be  left  alone  in  the  office.  A  cranky 
and  irritable  customer  or  caller  enters.  He  is  un- 
reasonable and  discourteous.  What  of  it?  It  is 
your  duty  to  meet  him  with  a  pleasant  counte- 
nance and  not  to  notice  that  he  is  not  a  gentle- 
man. 

Perhaps  you  haven't  more  than  ordinary  abil- 
ity, and  it  is  possible  that  you  are  below  the  aver- 
age ;  but  whether  you  have  talent  or  not,  you  can, 
if  you  will,  pour  the  oil  of  courtesy  upon  the 
troubled  waters  which  are  constantly  sweeping 
the  sea  of  business. 

The  oil  pourer,  whether  he  is  upon  the  deck  of 
a  storm-tossed  vessel,  in  the  office,  or  behind  the 
counter,  lubricates  the  friction  of  his  way  and 
progresses  rapidly. 


154 


IN  THE  OPEN 

OUTDOOR  men  suffer  from  the  minimum  of 
the  "ills  to  which  flesh  is  heir."  The  in- 
habitants of  the  polar  regions  seldom,  if  ever, 
have  colds.  Policemen,  letter  carriers,  teamsters, 
and  motormen,  who  spend  their  working  hours  in 
the  open  air,  are  usually  healthy  and  seldom  are 
confined  to  the  house. 

Diseases  and  other  physical  troubles  attack 
those  of  sedentary  habits,  and  those  who  spend 
the  greater  part  of  their  time  in  offices  or  houses, 
many  of  which  are  not  properly  ventilated. 

Some  time  ago,  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  passed  along  several  streets  on  which  the 
houses  are  occupied  by  the  well-to-do  classes.  A 
proportion  of  the  bedroom  windows  were  closed, 
comparatively  few  were  wide  open,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  them  were  raised  but  a  few  inches. 

Some  people  have  an  idea  that  night  air  is  un- 
fit to  breathe.  The  only  air  we  can  breathe  at 
night  is  either  night  air  or  confined  day  air,  and 
even  if  night  air  were  not  as  healthy  as  day  air, 
fresh  air  is  certainly  far  better  than  air  which  has 
been  all  day  bottled  up  in  the  house. 
155 


IN  THE  OPEN 


Tuberculosis,  the  "Great  White  Plague,"  which 
is,  perhaps,  responsible  for  more  deaths  than  any 
other  disease,  is  now  to  a  large  extent  under  con- 
trol by  means  of  the  fresh  air  treatment  and 
proper  food.  Consumptives  are  not  allowed  to 
remain  in  a  closed  room,  are  kept  in  the  open 
air  as  much  as  possible,  and,  when  indoors,  are 
obliged  always  to  keep  the  windows  open. 

The  majority  of  stores  and  offices,  as  well  as 
factories,  are  badly  ventilated,  and  this  accounts 
for  many  of  the  ailments  of  business  men,  opera- 
tives, and  other  employees. 

A  large  number  of  people  eat  their  lunches  in 
the  office  or  factory,  partly  for  economy,  often 
to  save  time.  If  it  seems  to  be  necessary  for 
you  to  lunch  at  your  place  of  business  or  work, 
get  out  into  the  open  before  or  after  eating. 

Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  commuters,  and  users 
of  street  cars,  rush  from  their  offices  at  night  to 
the  nearest  station  and  board  an  unventilated 
car,  instead  of  increasing  the  distance  to  the  sta- 
tion or  getting  out  a  few  blocks  ahead  of  their 
destination,  walking  the  balance  of  the  way. 

Nothing  contributes  more  to  good  health  than 
a  brisk  walk  and  keeping  out  in  the  open  air.  If 
you  live  at  a  distance  from  the  office,  do  not 
ride  the  entire  way.    Walk  part  of  it  in  the  morn- 

156 


IN  THE  OPEN 


ing  and  at  night.  Leave  your  office  or  factory 
for  a  few  minutes  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
Keep  the  windows  open,  but  do  not  sit  in  a  draft. 

If  you  get  your  feet  wet,  change  your  shoes 
and  stockings  when  you  arrive  at  your  destina- 
tion. If  you  can't  do  that,  at  least  dry  them  over 
a  register  or  stove. 

Do  not  wear  too  thick  or  too  thin  clothing. 
Either  contributes  to  ill  health.  Wear  stout 
shoes.  The  present  fashion  of  thin  slippers  for 
street  wear  is  to  be  condemned. 

Keep  out-of-doors  all  you  can.  Force  your- 
self to  do  so,  if  necessary. 

Never  sleep  in  a  closed  room.  Make  an  ef- 
fort to  ventilate  your  office  or  place  of  work. 
You  usually  can,  if  you  will. 

Outdoors  is  Nature's  great  sanitarium. 


157 


WORK  AND  SERVICE 

FORMERLY  it  was  a  question  of  how  much 
work  a  man  could  do,  how  much  actual  labor 
he  could  perform,  how  many  hours  he  was  busy. 
To-day  it  is  not  work  which  counts,  but  service. 

The  difference  between  a  great  medical  spe- 
cialist and  an  ordinary  practitioner  is  not  in  the 
time  he  remains  with  the  patient,  but  in  the  ser- 
vice he  renders  him,  in  his  power  to  diagnose 
the  trouble. 

The  great  captain  of  industry  decides  in  a  min- 
ute a  question  which  it  would  take  a  mediocre 
man  an  hour  to  determine,  and  probably  the  lat- 
ter would  not  reach  a  solution  at  all. 

The  great  merchant  has  learned  service.  He 
knows  how  to  husband  his  resources,  to  corral 
his  experience,  and  to  render  a  decision  almost 
instantly.  He  does  not  remain  ten  or  twelve 
hours  a  day  in  his  office.  He  is  to  be  found  on 
the  golf  links  or  on  his  yacht,  where  he  gains 
strength  by  diversion,  where  he  rests  his  mind, 
that  he  may  meet  emergencies  successfully. 

Do  not  think  that  I  am  advocating  loafing,  for 
loafing  is  not  resting.  One  must  work,  and  work 
hard,  at  the  start,  at  least;  office  hours  must  be 
IS8 


WORK  AND  SERVICE 


kept;  discipline  must  be  maintained;  but,  if  you 
depend  upon  work,  and  upon  work  only,  and 
think  nothing  of  service,  your  product  will  be 
reduced  to  that  of  the  laborer  who  removes  so 
many  cubic  feet  of  dirt  a  day,  automatically  per- 
forming his  duty,  who  is  a  mere  machine,  regu- 
lated by  a  boss. 

What  your  employer  wants  of  you  is  service, 
as  well  as  work.  What  you  accomplish  is  of  im- 
portance to  him,  not  so  much  how  many  hours 
you  labor.  What  is  the  result  of  your  endeavors  ? 
What  do  you  bring  to  the  firm  for  which  you 
work?  What  do  you  do  for  your  employer?  Is 
your  work  merely  mechanical?  Are  you  noth- 
ing but  an  automatic  machine,  or  are  you  a  think- 
ing man,  who,  while  he  labors,  realizes  that  the 
result  of  that  work  is  of  vastly  more  importance 
than  the  work  itself? 

The  majority  of  young  men  enter  business  feel- 
ing that,  if  they  labor  eight  hours  a  day,  they  are 
doing  their  allotted  share  of  the  world's  work. 
Well  and  good.  Whether  your  hours  are  long 
or  short,  you  should  fill  up  every  minute  of  the 
time,  doing  something  or  attempting  to  do  some- 
thing; but  if  you  feel  that  by  merely  putting  in 
eight  hours  or  so  of  labor  a  day  you  are  a  suc- 
cess, you  are  woefully  mistaken. 
159 


WORK  AND  SERVICE 


What  does  that  work  accomplish?  What  is 
the  result  of  your  labor?  These  are  momentous 
questions. 

Will  you  continue  to  be  a  machine,  merely 
keeping  yourself  well  oiled  and  in  good  condi- 
tion, or  will  you  get  out  of  the  automatic  class 
and  think  while  you  work,  attempting  always  to 
find,  not  an  easier  way,  but  a  better  way,  of  ac- 
complishment ? 

You  have  been  given  two  distinct  working 
bodies — your  physical  self  and  your  mental  self. 
The  former  is  necessary,  for  thought  without 
mechanical  action  is  as  worthless  as  is  action  with- 
out thought.  Connect  the  two,  and  every  time 
you  file  a  letter  or  run  an  errand  see  to  it  that 
the  nerves  connecting  your  hands  or  your  feet 
with  your  brain  are  active. 

Do  not  be  an  automaton. 

Your  body  may  earn  you  a  living,  and  a  poor 
one  at  that;  but  your  body  and  your  brain  com- 
bined can  lift  you  to  any  height. 

Be  of  service. 


i6o 


INSINUATION 

THOUSANDS,  yes,  hundreds  of  thousands, 
of  men  and  women  have  been  temporarily  or 
permanently  injured  because  of  the  carelessly 
dropped  remarks  or  insinuations  of  those  who 
make  a  specialty  of  speaking  ill  of  everybody, 
with  or  without  reason  or  proof. 

The  other  day,  while  at  lunch  with  a  friend, 
an  acquaintance  joined  us.  My  friend  turned  to 
me  and  said: 

*'I  am  looking  for  an  assistant  bookkeeper. 
Do  you  know  of  a  bright,  available,  and  thor- 
oughly reliable  young  man  who  could  fill  the  po- 
sition?" 

"Yes,"  I  replied  instantly,  "I  know  just  the 
fellow  you  want." 

*'Is  he  out  of  a  position?"  inquired  my  friend. 

"Yes,"  I  answered,  "but  through  no  fault  of 
his.     His  firm  failed." 

"What's  his  name?" 

"John  Smith." 

"Is  that  the  fellow  who  kept  books  for  the 
Blank  Manufacturing  Company?"  interjected  the 
acquaintance. 

i6i 


INSINUATION 


"Yes." 

Turning  to  my  friend,  he  said : 

**I  don't  believe  you  want  him.  He  was  in 
college  with  my  boy  and  I  never  thought  much 
of  him." 

I  was  naturally  indignant.  Facing  the  ac- 
quaintance, I  said  emphatically : 

*'Mr.  Jones,  I  know  John  Smith.  I  know 
that  he  has  a  record  w^hich  few  young  men  of 
his  age  possess,  that  he  has  'made  good,'  and 
that  he  is  the  soul  of  honor.  If  you  know  any- 
thing against  him,  out  with  it !" 

The  man  hesitated,  and  finally  admitted  that 
he  really  had  never  seen  John  Smith  and  only 
knew  about  him  through  his  son,  and  that  was 
several  years  ago. 

I  can  relate  many  similar  instances,  some  much 
more  serious  than  this.  A  friend  of  mine,  a  few 
years  ago,  was  refused  admittance  to  a  highly  re- 
spectable organization  because  the  membership 
committee  failed  to  make  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion and  did  not  discover  that  there  were  two 
men  of  the  same  name  doing  the  same  kind  of 
business,  one  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  the  other 
a  blackleg. 

In  the  street  cars,  in  the  restaurants,  in  the 
lobbies  of  the  hotels,  at  the  clubs,  in  offices,  in 
162 


INSINUATION 


society,  everywhere,  men,  and  women,  too,  are 
making  insinuating  remarks  about  their  acquaint- 
ances, usually  without  any  proof  or  any  reason 
for  doing  so. 

It  is  obvious  that  we  cannot  like  everybody 
and  that  we  cannot  avoid  prejudice,  but  it  is  one 
thing  to  be  prejudiced  against  a  person  and  an- 
other to  publish  that  feeling. 

We  have  absolutely  no  right  to  say  anything 
against  anyone  unless  we  have  abundant  proof 
to  condemn  him  or  unless  suspicion  has  almost 
reached  the  point  of  fact.  In  the  latter  case  we 
should  acknowledge  frankly  that  we  do  not 
know,  but  that  we  think  or  have  heard,  and 
give  all  the  particulars,  so  that  the  one  ad- 
dressed may  gain  an  intelligent  conception  of  the 
matter. 

The  majority  of  insinuating  remarks  are  not 
definite.  They  are  merely  stabs  in  the  dark, 
which  often  wound  seriously  and  cause  terrible 
injury. 

Unfortunately,  the  law  of  libel  cannot  reach 
these  insinuators,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  way 
of  punishing  them.  They  usually  have  no  firm 
friends  and  cannot  be  trusted. 

Do  not  insinuate.  Do  not  say  anything  that 
you  cannot  back  up.  Do  not  say  a  man  is  this, 
163 


INSINUATION 


or  that,  unless  you  know,  or  have  abundant  rea- 
son to  believe,  that  what  you  are  telling  about 
him  is  true.  Mere  rumor  amounts  to  practically 
nothing. 

The  man  does  not  live  who  is  not  talked 
against,  unless  he  is  such  a  nonentity  as  to  be 
immune  even  from  slander. 

Most  good  men  are  known  by  the  quality  of 
their  friends  and  the  quantity  of  their  enemies. 


164 


WANT  TO  DO  RIGHT 

DOING  right  is  hard  work,  mighty  hard  work, 
unless  you  want  to  do  it.  When  you  want 
to  do  a  thing,  no  matter  how  hard  it  may  be,  its 
accompHshment  is  easy. 

If  you  mechanically  do  right,  if  you  are  auto- 
matically honest,  you  are  a  mere  machine,  which 
throws  off  accurate  work  without  mind,  without 
interest. 

Science,  cold  science,  will  remove  the  hill,  but 
add  love  to  it,  and  the  mountain  will  crumble 
before  it. 

Loving  to  do  right,  loving  your  work,  makes 
any  endeavor  a  pleasure,  smooths  the  rough 
edges,  and  gives  you  happiness. 

No  man  ever  accomplished  anything  worth 
while  by  automatic  action,  by  mere  plodding,  by 
attempting  to  do  it  with  indifference.  Every 
great  result  sprang  from  an  intense  desire,  an 
overwhelming  love  of  accomplishment. 

Perhaps  you  are  discouraged,  and  there  may 

be  reason  for  it.     Perhaps  you  have  failed  to 

gain  promotion,  and  yet  have  been  faithful  and 

honest.     That  is  the  way  of  the  world.     The 

i6s 


WANT  TO  DO  RIGHT 


prizes  in  the  great  lottery  are  few,  and  there  are 
many  blanks.  What  of  it?  If  everything  you 
did  succeeded,  success  would  become  too  common 
to  be  appreciated  or  to  be  worth  anything.  Fail- 
ure is  just  as  necessary  for  the  making  of  success 
as  is  success  itself. 

If  it  were  not  for  life's  negatives,  there  would 
be  no  affirmatives.  If  it  were  not  for  the  rain, 
we  should  not  appreciate  the  sunshine  and  there 
would  be  no  harvest. 

Right  does  not  consist  in  right-doing  itself. 
It  is  in  the  desire  to  do  right,  the  love  of  honest 
accompHshment. 

Right-doing  is  vested  in  yourself.  If  you  want 
to  do  right,  you  usually  will,  although  occasion- 
ally, despite  your  endeavors,  you  will  do  wrong. 
Don't  worry  about  that.  You're  not  infallible. 
The  thing  for  you  to  concern  yourself  about  is 
whether  or  not  you  wanted  to  do  right.  If  you 
did,  and  used  judgment,  and  the  result  was  dis- 
astrous, you  were  not  to  blame,  and  you  may  use 
the  failure  as  a  stepping-stone  to  better  things. 

There  never  was  a  man,  in  business  or  out  of 
it,  who  was  always  right  in  result,  even  though 
he  may  have  been  right  in  intention. 

What  is  your  average?  If  it  is  to  your  credit, 
you  are  a  success,  even  though  you  may  register 
i66 


WANT  TO  DO  RIGHT 


many  failures.  Remember,  however,  that  you 
should  not  make  the  same  mistake  twice.  And 
there  is  no  need  of  it,  for  a  legitimate  mistake 
will  contribute  to  your  success  more  than  to  your 
failure. 

Get  right  inside,  and  the  outside  will  take  care 
of  itself.  Intend  to  do  right,  and  if  you  do 
wrong,  it  is  not  morally  wrong.  It  is  an  error, 
that  is  all.  You  will  not  make  many  of  these 
mistakes,  for  the  right  kind  of  a  conscience  will 
usually  direct  you  aright,  and  soon  you  will  learn 
by  experiencing  both  failure  and  success  what 
contributes  the  most  to  the  latter  and  the  least 
to  the  former. 

Form  the  right-doing  habit,  and  sooner  or 
later  it  will  be  m.ore  natural  for  you  to  do  right 
than  to  do  wrong.  The  right  thing  will  occur 
to  you  sub-consciously,  and  your  mistakes  will 
be  reduced  to  the  minimum. 

Be  right  with  yourself,  and  you  will  be  right 
with  others. 


167 


EDUCATION 

THE  academic  school  has  two  distinct  prov- 
inces :  first,  to  teach  the  three  R's,  in  order 
that  one  may  not  be  ilHterate;  secondly,  to  im- 
part knowledge  beyond  necessity,  which  will  en- 
able its  receiver  better  to  meet  present  and  future 
conditions. 

Expert  and  unbiased  educators  do  not  question 
the  value  of  the  first,  but  are  not  united  regarding 
its  second  purpose. 

How  far  should  one  go  academically  if  he 
would  enter  life  properly  prepared  to  meet  its 
requirements  ? 

Opinion  is  divided.  Upon  general  principles, 
however,  it  may  be  said  that  one  is  not  likely  to 
become  over-educated  academically,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  curricula  of  most 
schools  and  colleges  contain  as  much  of  the  chaff 
as  the  wheat  of  learning. 

Until  we  know  what  to  teach  and  what  not  to 
teach,  it  is  obvious  that  more  than  a  small  propor- 
tion of  the  waste  cannot  be  eliminated. 

The  higher  forms  of  education  undoubtedly 
discipline  the  mind  and  enable  one  better  to  grasp 
i68 


EDUCATION 


conditions  and  to  "make  good"  in  every  direc- 
tion. 

Education  is  of  no  value  unless  it  makes  a 
man  more  efficient  to  himself  and  to  others. 

Mere  memorizing  alone  is  worse  than  wasted 
time,  yet  this  method  of  study,  unfortunately, 
prevails  to  some  extent  in  nearly  every  institu- 
tion. The  pupil  is  often  ranked  by  what  he  is 
able  to  repeat,  rather  than  by  what  he  actually 
knows. 

However  necessary  academic  education  may 
be  in  a  preparatory  sense,  neither  the  school  nor 
the  college  can  take  the  place  of  experience. 

The  School  of  the  World,  or  rather,  the  School 
of  Experience,  is  the  post-graduate  institution 
which  plays  no  favorites  and  which  has  no  fads 
or  fancy  courses. 

Real  education  does  not  end  with  the  academic 
course.    It  begins  after  this  course  is  finished. 

No  amount  of  book-learning,  memorizing,  or 
academic  training,  even  under  the  most  favor- 
able conditions,  can  be  substituted  for  experience. 

The  man  who  stops  learning  when  he  leaves 
his  school  stops  living.  It  would  be  better  for 
him,  and  for  the  community,  if  he  used  the  little 
sense  he  has  as  a  weight  with  which  to  drown 
himself. 

i6o 


EDUCATION 


Many  a  college  graduate  goes  out  into  the 
world  laboring  under  the  delusion  that  what  the 
college  has  given  him  is  negotiable  merchandise, 
salable  in  any  market,  and  usually  he  places  an 
inflated  price  upon  it. 

The  education  which  he  has  received,  rightly 
used,  is  an  asset;  but  by  itself  alone  it  is  a  drag. 

Education,  then,  has  no  value  in  itself.  It  is 
valuable  only  in  so  far  as  it  enables  one  to  use 
himself  to  better  advantage. 

The  parade  of  the  cap  and  gown,  on  the  college 
campus,  is  not  the  march  of  real  soldiers  on  a  real 
field  of  conflict.  Each  cap  and  each  gown  should 
not  stand  for  graduation,  but  rather  be  the  in- 
signia of  a  better  preparation  for  entrance  into 
the  School  of  the  World. 

To  know  may  be  to  do  nothing.  To  know 
how  to  use  what  you  know  counts. 


170 


LITTLE  IMPORTANT  THINGS 

THE  store  was  on  fire.  The  fire  department 
had  left  a  card  in  the  ofhce  locating  the  near- 
est alarm  box,  but  somebody  had  mislaid  it  or  had 
thrown  it  into  the  wastebasket.  Nobody  knew 
where  the  nearest  fire  alarm  box  was,  and  fifteen 
minutes  of  precious  time  was  wasted  hunting 
for  it. 

A  telegram  arrived  at  ten  o'clock,  requesting 
the  head  of  the  firm  to  be  in  another  city  on  the 
morrow.  At  ten-thirty  a  limited  train  left  the 
city,  arriving  at  its  destination  at  two  o'clock 
the  next  afternoon.  The  next  train  was  not  due 
to  arrive  until  after  the  close  of  business.  The 
telephone  was  out  of  order,  and  there  wasn't  a 
time-table  in  the  office.  When  one  was  procured, 
the  ten-thirty  limited  had  departed. 

There  were  half  a  dozen  rugs  upon  the  parlor 
floor,  and  no  water  close  by.  The  wife's  dress 
caught  fire  from  a  lighted  match.  Her  husband 
ran  for  water,  instead  of  wrapping  one  of  the 
rugs  about  her.  She  is  scarred  for  life.  The 
husband,  like  many  others,  didn't  know  what 
to  do. 

171 


LITTLE  IMPORTANT  THINGS 


One  of  the  women  clerks  in  the  office  fell  in 
a  faint.  Her  companions  lifted  her  from  the 
floor  and  supported  her  head,  instead  of  laying 
her  down  with  her  feet  slightly  elevated.  It  was 
some  time  before  she  recovered  consciousness. 
How  few  people  know  what  to  do  in  similar 
emergencies ! 

Johnnie  had  a  sore  throat.  Mother  thought  it 
might  be  serious,  but  grandmother  differed  from 
her.  They  bound  it  in  liniment  and  applied  other 
home  remedies  instead  of  sending  for  the  doctor. 
It  was  diphtheria,  but  the  doctor  was  not  called 
in  until  a  few  hours  before  Johnnie  died. 

Thousands  of  people  have  neglected  the  symp- 
tom and  invited  the  disease,  instead  of  placing 
themselves  in  the  hands  of  a  reputable  physician. 

When  in  doubt,  call  the  doctor.  Don't  take 
chances  with  yourself. 

Miss  Smith  was  a  stenographer.  She  didn't 
know  how  to  spell  a  certain  word,  and  she  in- 
quired of  a  dozen  fellow  clerks,  none  of  whom 
could  spell  it.  The  dictionary  was  within  half 
an  arm's  length  from  her  all  the  time.  About 
one-tenth  of  one  per  cent,  of  us  realize  that  the 
dictionary  will  answer  about  nine-tenths  of  all 
every-day  questions,  and  we  fail  to  consult  it. 

If  man  treated  his  machine  as  he  treats  his 
172 


LITTLE  IMPORTANT  THINGS 


Stomach,  the  machine  would  be  out  of  order  most 
of  the  time.  He  enters  a  restaurant,  orders  a 
dish,  does  not  like  the  taste  of  it,  thinks  it  may 
not  be  fresh,  but  eats  it,  and  ptomaine  poisoning 
keeps  him  in  bed  for  a  month  or  more.  He 
would  not  treat  his  automobile  that  way,  but 
then  a  motor  car  isn't  human  and  must  be  cared 
for. 

How  many  of  those  who  work  are  thoughtful 
enough  to  have  an  extra  pair  of  stockings  and 
shoes,  or  even  another  suit  of  clothes,  in  the  of- 
fice in  case  a  sudden  storm  drenches  them? 

If  you  haven't  any  common  sense,  go  out  and 
get  some,  even  if  you  have  to  pay  for  it.  Com- 
mon sense  is  worth  more  than  dollars,  and  double 
discounts  money  in  any  market. 


173 


^THE  OTHER  FELLOW" 

NINETY-NINE  and  nine-tenths  per  cent,  of 
failures,  men  of  the  never-get-there  class, 
ignorantly,  intentionally,  or  unintentionally  for- 
get themselves  and  think  about  "the  other 
fellow." 

If  "the  other  fellow"  is  promoted,  they  are 
jealous,  feel  that  their  employer  has  discriminated 
unfairly,  and  that  favoritism  or  luck  is  respon- 
sible for  the  good  things  which  he  has  received. 

If  they  make  a  mistake,  instead  of  attempting 
to  learn  better,  they  hunt  up  the  mistakes  which 
"the  other  fellow"  has  made  and  excuse  them- 
selves because  he  has  blundered. 

Many  a  young  man  who  has  not  been  promoted 
or  received  a  raise  of  salary,  instead  of  analyz- 
ing himself,  goes  to  his  employer  and  says :  "You 
raised  Smith's  salary.  I  think  mine  ought  to  be 
increased,  too." 

The  employer  naturally  asks  him  what  Smith 
has  got  to  do  with  it.  Smith  had  his  salary 
raised  because  he  deserved  it. 

Yet  a  proportion  of  men  who  ought  to  know 
better  use  this  feeble  and  unbusinesslike  argu- 
174 


"THE  OTHER  FELLOW" 


ment,  forgetting  that  it  is  "up  to"  them,  not  "up 
to"  the  "other  fellow;"  that  it  is  all-important 
to  them  what  they  do  for  themselves,  and  of  less 
consequence  what  happens  to  "the  other  fellow." 

Let  "the  other  fellow"  alone,  except  to  be 
friendly  with  him  and  exchange  experiences  with 
him.  Congratulate  him  when  he  is  promoted. 
Learn  of  him,  if  he  is  a  good  teacher.  Do  not 
be  jealous  of  him.  His  promotion,  even  if  you 
do  not  receive  a  like  one,  is  an  indication  that 
the  firm  for  which  you  work  is  prepared  to  do  by 
you  as  it  has  done  by  him  as  soon  as  you  are 
worthy. 

The  promotion  of  "the  other  fellow"  should 
incite  you  to  greater  effort.  You  are  better  off 
because  he  has  been  promoted.  Your  turn  will 
come  next,  if  you  "deliver  the  goods." 

Don't  harbor  the  delusion  that  your  employer 
does  not  want  to  pay  you  more  money.  Unless 
he  is  an  exception,  he  regards  you  as  a  part  of 
his  business  plant.  It  is  policy  for  him  to  use 
you  to  his  advantage,  and  he  cannot  do  this  un- 
less it  is  to  your  advantage  also.  He  would 
rather  pay  you  twenty  dollars  a  week  than  ten 
dollars  if  you  are  worth  it  and  the  business  will 
warrant.  If  you  show  that  you  are  able  and 
ready  to  bring  him  service  the  equivalent  of,  or 
175 


THE  OTHER  FELLOW" 


of  greater  value  than,  that  extra  ten  dollars,  he 
is  more  than  willing  to  give  it  to  you. 

No  business  man  worthy  the  name  wants  to 
have  inefficient  employees  about  him.  They 
injure  his  business  and  injure  him. 

The  modern  business  man  requires  efficiency, 
and  in  most  cases  he  is  ready  to  pay  the  price 
necessary  to  obtain  it. 

Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  young  men  who  are 
down  are  down  because  they  downed  themselves 
and  did  not  realize  that,  however  subordinate 
their  positions  might  be,  they,  above  all  the  world, 
were  masters  of  their  destiny. 

It  is  you,  not  "the  other  fellow.'* 


176 


SOMEBODY— NOT  SOMETHING 

BE  somebody,  not  something.  Cultivate  your 
individuality.    Take  care  of  your  personality. 

Nobody  wants  to  be  a  something.  Everybody 
should  be  a  somebody. 

You  may  be  only  a  clerk  and  occupy  a  very 
subordinate  position ;  but,  as  long  as  you  hold  that 
job,  it  is,  and  should  be,  for  the  time  being,  the 
biggest  job  in  the  world  for  you.  You  should  be 
proud  of  it  and  proud  of  yourself,  happy  in  the 
realization  that  you  are  doing  your  work  as  well 
as  you  can,  and,  perhaps,  better  than  most  others 
could. 

Be  a  somebody  at  the  start,  not  a  mere  some- 
thing. Remember  that  the  strength  of  the  chain 
is  in  its  weakest  link,  and  that,  as  a  link  in  the 
chain  of  business,  you  are  necessary  to  the  whole, 
and  if  you  are  not  strong,  the  entire  chain  is  weak. 

If  you  do  not  do  your  duty  faithfully,  the  busi- 
ness, no  matter  how  great  it  may  be,  is  not  as 
stable  as  it  should  be. 

If  your  principal  responsibility  is  carrying  let- 
ters to  the  post  office,  remember  that,  if  those  let- 
ters are  not  promptly  delivered,  or  if  you  lose 
177 


SOMEBODY— NOT  SOMETHING 


one  or  more,  the  business  will  suffer,  and,  per- 
haps, greatly. 

To  your  hands  may  be  entrusted  one  letter,  the 
prompt  delivery  of  which  means  thousands,  yes, 
hundreds  of  thousands,  of  dollars  to  the  firm  for 
which  you  work.  As  the  carrier  of  that  letter 
you  are  assuming  a  responsibility  of  the  utmost 
importance. 

If  you  are  not  somebody  in  a  low  position,  you 
will  never  be  anybody  in  a  high  one. 

The  men  who  have  succeeded,  the  men  who 
lead  in  business  and  in  thought,  the  men  who 
have  accomplished  great  things,  were  as  faithful 
and  as  interested  when  they  occupied  subordinate 
positions  as  they  are  to-day  at  the  head  of  large 
enterprises. 

A  somebody  never  sprang  from  a  something. 

There  is  no  position  so  low  that  something 
cannot  be  made  of  it.  There  is  no  man  in  the 
world  who  cannot  be  a  somebody  instead  of  a 
something. 

Somebody,  sometime,  will  notice  you  if  you 
are  a  somebody.  You  may  have  to  wait  for  years 
to  be  appreciated,  but  if  you  love  your  work  and 
feel  that  each  duty,  no  matter  how  menial  it  may 
be,  is  your  duty,  the  one  thing  in  the  world  for 
you  to  do,  sooner  or  later  greater  things  will  be 
178 


SOMEBODY— NOT  SOMETHING 


given  to  you,  and  you  will  receive  at  least  a  part 
of  your  deserts. 

Failures  are  always  somethings,  not  some- 
bodies. They  automatically  work  or  as  syste- 
matically loaf.  They  do  not  realize  their  impor- 
tance; they  are  disappointed  and  disgruntled. 
They  do  not  seem  to  understand  that  the  man 
above  them  is  there  probably  because  he  is  a  bet- 
ter man,  for  the  time  being  at  least,  and  that  the 
only  way  to  obtain  promotion  is  to  be  better  men 
while  down  if  they  would  be  bigger  men  later  on. 

I  am  aware  that  discouragements  are  con- 
stantly occurring.  I  know  that  the  road  of  life 
is  not  smooth,  but  is  strewn  with  handicaps. 
What  of  it  ?  The  rest  of  your  world  is  traveling 
alongside  of  you. 

Keep  on  moving.  Never  stand  still.  Every 
hill  that  you  surmount  means  easier  climbing 
along  the  road  of  your  life.  If  everything  went 
smoothly,  if  there  were  no  handicaps,  life  would 
not  be  worth  living,  and  we  should  be  but  cattle, 
browsing  in  a  fertile  field,  thinking  only  of  our 
fodder,  living  in  to-day  and  never  in  the  morrow. 


179 


ODD  TIMES 

nPHE  man  of  success,  and  the  boy  of  prospec- 
"■•  tive  attainment,  appreciate  the  value  of  odd 
times. 

Many  have  risen  from  the  ranks  to  command 
and  responsibiHty  by  the  proper  use  of  odd  hours, 
odd  half -hours,  and  odd  minutes. 

No  matter  how  busy  one  may  be  in  business 
or  in  school,  there  are  moments  for  which  noth- 
ing seems  to  have  been  allotted.  These  moments 
must  either  be  wasted  or  used. 

Success  in  school,  as  well  as  in  business,  de- 
pends upon  the  proper  balance  of  work,  play,  and 
rest. 

There  is  no  excuse  for  any  kind  of  waste,  either 
of  time  or  of  material. 

The  man  or  boy  of  success  is  always  busy — 
busy  studying,  busy  working,  busy  playing,  busy 
resting.  All  his  odd  moments  are  filled.  He 
makes  every  minute  count.  He  is  either  accom- 
plishing something  or  is  doing  something  which 
will  make  him  better  able  to  produce  a  better 
something  later  on. 

There  is  usually  time  enough  in  every  day  for 
z8o 


ODD  TIMES 


the  proper  work  of  that  day.  Every  odd  moment 
has  its  place  in  the  economy  of  accomplishment. 
Successful  people  never  loaf.  They  never  waste 
a  moment.  Whatever  they  do,  whether  it  is  work 
or  play,  they  do  deliberately  and  with  all  their 
might.    When  they  rest,  they  rest  intelligently. 

The  odd  moment  is  the  moment  in  which  to 
relax,  guided  by  the  free  rein  of  inclination,  not 
by  the  whip  of  necessity.  It  belongs  entirely  to 
one's  self.  It  is  unencumbered  by  specific  re- 
sponsibility and  consequently  one  is  freer  in  it, 
and  can  work  or  play  better  in  it,  and  even  ac- 
complish more  than  when  under  the  strain  of 
necessity. 

The  salary-receiver  or  wage-earner,  and  the 
boy  at  school,  are  under  command  and  they  are 
not  wholly  their  own  masters  during  the  regular 
hours  of  work  or  study,  but  they  are,  fortunately, 
in  charge  of  their  odd  moments,  and  what  they 
do  in  them  counts  mightily  in  result.  If  they 
waste  them,  they  lose  much  more  than  they  ap- 
preciate. If  they  use  them  conscientiously,  in- 
telligently, and  constantly,  they  are  sure  to  ac- 
complish something,  something  which  will  count 
in  the  end. 

The  odd  moment  is  the  period  of  profit.  Many 
a  man  has  thought  out  a  difficult  problem  and 
i8i 


ODD  TIMES 


reached  a  profitable  solution  while  leisurely 
walking  along  the  shady  street  or  while  com- 
fortably resting  in  a  hammock  under  the  trees. 
Many  a  boy  has  begun  to  settle  life's  problems 
during  recess. 

May  I  not  say  again  what  I  have  said  many 
times  before — loafing  is  not  resting.  A  man  was 
not  made  to  hibernate  like  the  animal.  He  does 
not  have  a  season  of  unconsciousness  except  when 
he  is  asleep.  His  wakeful  time  is  longer  than 
that  passed  in  slumber. 

Each  hour,  each  moment,  has  its  place.  They 
may  be  wasted,  or  they  may  be  made  profitable. 


1S2 


SNUBBING 

SOME  people,  yes,  many  people,  are  obsessed 
with  the  idea  that  they  are  very  much  better, 
or  a  little  better,  than  everybody  else,  or  superior 
to  most  of  those  with  whom  they  come  in  con- 
tact. Then  there  are  others  who  are  abnormally 
proud  of  their  lineage  and  who  feel  that,  although 
they  have  fed  upon  the  same  market  meat  as 
others,  for  some  reason  (reason  never  explained 
or  given)  they  are  different  from  all  humanity 
save  that  comprising  their  own  little  coterie. 
Their  heads  are  always  in  the  air;  their  noses 
would  point  skyward  if  their  anatomy  permitted; 
and  they  would  refuse  to  let  their  feet  remain  on 
earth  if  there  were  any  other  place  on  which  to 
walk. 

There  is  the  monied  class,  or  rather,  some 
members  of  it,  whose  vanity  is  founded  upon 
their  material  wealth,  for  that  is  all  they  have  of 
which  to  be  proud.  They  condescend ;  they  snub. 
They  think  they  are  better  than  their  fellows,  and 
they  show  this  mock  superiority  at  every  oppor- 
tunity. They  divide  the  world  into  separate 
classes,  grades,  or  cliques,  placing  themselves  at 
183 


SNUBBING 


the  uppermost  point,  and  from  that  false  posi- 
tion they  look  down  upon  the  passing  crowd,  for- 
getting that  those  whom  they  regard  as  below 
them  may  be  their  superiors. 

They  are  faddists,  but  usually  their  eccentric- 
ities are  directed  toward  the  very  things  which 
they  do  not  possess  and  with  which  they  are  un- 
familiar. They  may  have  a  smattering  of  liter- 
ary knowledge,  although  their  reading  is  prob- 
ably limited  to  the  magazine  stories  which  as  yet 
the  true  litterateur  has  not  been  able  to  classify. 
They  may  fondle  art  as  if  they  were  familiar 
with  it.  They  are  sure  to  do  something  which 
they  should  not  do  and  to  neglect  many  things 
which  are  a  part  of  real  life.  They  snub  every- 
body in  sight,  or  else  they  condescendingly  speak 
to  their  fellows.  They  haven't  any  friends,  no, 
not  even  among  their  kind,  for  the  snob,  never 
sure  of  his  position,  wants  to  be  familiar  only 
with  his  superiors,  and  his  superiors  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  him. 

It  has  been  said  that  snubbing  is  practised 
largely  by  the  newly-rich  and  by  those  who  have 
suddenly  risen  in  the  possession  of  material 
things.  This  is  not  altogether  true.  I  have  seen 
hundreds  of  educated  people,  members  of  the 
ever-increasing  family  which  sprang  from  the 
184 


SNUBBING 


few  passengers  of  the  Mayflower,  even  college 
professors  and  men  of  inherited  or  earned 
wealth,  who  were  just  as  snobbish,  who  practised 
snubbing  as  much  as  do  those  who  have  the  ex- 
cuse of  ignorance. 

The  real  man,  whether  he  is  wealthy  or  not, 
whether  he  has  had  a  liberal  education  or  one 
which  he  gained  in  the  "Little  Red  Schoolhouse," 
or  as  an  undergraduate  in  the  University  of  the 
World,  is  not  a  snob  and  never  snubs.  He  honors 
all  men  who  are  worthy  of  respect.  He  does  not 
feel  better  or  bigger  than  his  fellows.  He  never 
condescends.  He  is  always  gentlemanly,  always 
considerate,  always  agreeable. 

Don't  join  that  class  of  employees,  the  members 
of  which,  when  they  are  promoted,  look  with 
disdain  upon  those  who  are  occupying  the  posi- 
tions that  were  recently  theirs.  Be  proud  of  your 
attainments,  proud  of  yourself,  but  have  that 
kind  of  pride  which  manifests  itself  in  self-re- 
spect and  which  is  willing  to  associate  with  all 
that  is  good,  whether  or  not  that  good  has  money 
or  some  other  artificial  possession. 


i8s 


THE  OTHER  MAN'S  POINT  OF 
VIEW 

MR.  FRANKLIN  S.  HOYT,  head  of  the  edu- 
cational department  of  Houghton,  Mifflin 
and  Company,  one  of  America's  greatest  pub- 
lishers, in  an  address  before  the  members  of  one 
of  my  classes,  said,  among  a  hundred  other  good 
things:  "You  must  put  yourself  in  the  other 
man's  place  and  understand  his  point  of  view." 

You  have  a  right  to  be  interested  in  yourself, 
for  you  are  of  more  consequence  to  yourself  than 
is  anybody  else.  The  other  fellow,  however,  has 
rights,  and  unless  you  respect  them,  you  stand  in 
your  own  way  and  handicap  your  efficiency. 

Individuality  is  to  be  encouraged,  but  the  over- 
use of  it  makes  for  failure.  You  cannot  judge 
another  unless  you,  to  some  extent,  occupy  his 
place,  see  things  through  his  eyes,  and  hear  things 
through  his  ears.  You  cannot  do  this  perfectly, 
but  you  may  approximately  understand  his  view- 
point. 

The  majority  of  applicants  for  a  position  show 
interest  in  themselves  more  than  they  do  in  the 
employer.  They  emphasize  their  importance, 
i86 


THE  OTHER  MAN'S  POINT  OF  VIEW 

their  wishes,  and  are  prone  to  make  conditions 
supposedly  in  their  own  interest.  They  over-use 
the  capital  /  and  are  very  much  like  the  political 
speaker  who  begins  with  "I"  and  ends  with  "me.'* 

Some  years  ago  the  editor  of  a  leading  news- 
paper sarcastically  remarked  that  he  could  not 
print  the  address  of  a  certain  orator  because  he 
didn't  have  enough  capital  Fs  with  which  to  set 
his  speech. 

Did  you  ever  analyze  ordinary  conversations? 
Between  every  few  words  appears  the  capital  /. 
Expressions  like  "I  think,"  "I  know,"  "I  feel," 
are  very  frequent.  You  have  a  right  to  think, 
to  know,  to  feel ;  but  what  you  think,  and  know, 
and  feel  is  of  little  consequence  unless  it  is  in 
harmony  with  the  thoughts,  the  knowledge,  and 
the  feeling  of  others. 

The  individual  is  unsafe.  The  composite  is 
likely  to  be  right. 

There  is  comparatively  little  originality  in  the 
world.  Most  great  accomplishments  are  the  re- 
sult of  experience,  coming  from  intermingling 
with  others,  from  absorbing  others'  opinions  and 
others'  knowledge. 

The  great  man  uses  all  he  can  obtain,  adds  his 
own  ability  to  the  conglomerate  mass,  and  then 
produces  something  of  public  benefit. 
187 


THE  OTHER  MAN'S  POINT  OF  VIEW 

No  business  giant  was  ever  large  enough  to 
succeed  alone.  Around  him  he  gathered  com- 
petent advisors,  and,  although  he  may  have  ren- 
dered the  final  decision  and  thrown  the  casting 
vote,  what  he  said  and  what  he  did  were  not 
wholly  his  own.  He  represented  the  many  and 
had  ability  enough  to  use  what  others  had,  com- 
bined with  what  he  himself  had. 

I  am  not  suggesting  that  you  shelve  your  indi- 
viduality, that  you  refuse  to  think  and  act  on 
your  own  initiative ;  but  I  am  saying  to  you,  espe- 
cially if  you  are  just  entering  business,  that  you 
will  probably  be  safer  in  the  hands  of  others,  or 
rather,  with  the  assistance  of  others,  than  you 
will  be  if  you  start  out  for  yourself  with  only 
your  own  personal  experience  back  of  you. 

Learn  to  tread  in  the  tracks  of  other  people  if 
you  would  successfully  walk  the  street  of  ac- 
complishment. 


i88 


OURSELVES 

MAURICE  MAETERLINCK,  the  famous 
Belgian  author,  says:  "Let  us  always  re- 
member that  nothing  ever  befalls  us  which  is  not 
of  the  nature  of  ourselves.  There  comes  no  ad- 
venture but  means  to  our  souls  the  shape  of  our 
every-day  thoughts,  and  none  but  yourself  shall 
you  meet  on  the  highway  of  fate.  Events  seem 
on  the  watch  for  the  signal  we  hoist  from 
within." 

Although  environment  and  conditions  are  not 
always  subject  to  our  control,  although  we  are 
frequently  forced  into  positions  against  our  will, 
although  that  inexplicable  something  called 
"luck,"  unfortunately,  plays  a  part  on  the  stage  of 
life,  although  we  do  not  always  deserve  credit 
for  the  things  that  happen  to  us,  or  merit  cen- 
sure for  disaster  and  failure,  we  are,  to  a  large 
extent,  masters  of  ourselves  and  responsible  for 
what  comes  to  us. 

Comparatively  few  men  have  risen  from  the 

ranks  and  been  permitted  to  occupy  commanding 

positions  who  did  not  earn  what  they  received. 

Their  achievements  came  from  w^ithin  rather  than 

189 


OURSELVES 

from  without.  They  took  what  they  had, 
whether  it  was  Httle  or  much,  and  made  the  most 
of  it,  developed  it  to  the  Hmit  of  its  possibiHty. 
They  did  not  trust  to  luck,  they  did  not  wait  for 
opportunity,  they  did  not  attempt  to  do  what  they 
knew  that  they  could  not  do,  but  they  took  that 
something  from  within,  that  natural  ability  which 
had  been  given  them,  nursed  it,  cared  for  it,  and 
grew  it  into  result. 

The  most  despicable  thing  on  earth  is  the  man 
of  physical  strength  and  mental  attainment  who 
does  not  utilize  what  he  has,  does  not  make  some- 
thing of  what  has  been  given  him. 

A  proportion,  and  a  large  one,  of  failures  is 
due,  not  to  inability,  and  not  always  to  lack  of 
perseverance,  but,  rather,  to  an  attempt  to  be  what 
one  is  not,  to  force  what  is  without  into  what  is 
within,  rather  than  to  develop  what  is  within  that 
it  may  spread  without. 

Try  as  we  will,  we  cannot  be  what  we  are  not ; 
but  we  can  make  much  of  little. 

The  man  who  has  no  voice  can  never  be  a 
singer  worth  listening  to,  and  the  man  who  has 
a  wonderful  and  powerful  natural  voice  will 
never  hold  an  audience  unless  he  develops  it, 
trains  it,  and  makes  the  most  of  it. 

This  same  condition  exists  in  all  other  things. 
190 


OURSELVES 


It  is  useless,  it  is  wasteful,  to  attempt  to  an- 
nex to  yourself  that  which  will  not  grow  within 
yourself. 

Success  depends  upon  growing  from  within, 
upon  utilizing  what  you  have  that  is  natural  to 
you,  and  not  attempting  to  produce  that  which  is 
foreign  to  the  very  substance  of  yourself. 

Be  yourself,  because  you  can't  be  anybody  else. 

Develop  what  you  have,  and  do  not  try  to  make 
of  yourself  that  which  you  cannot  be. 

Don't  find  fault  with  fate.  The  lazy,  good- 
for-nothing  man  makes  a  scapegoat  of  fate  and 
blames  it  for  his  own  shortcomings. 

You  don't  know  anything  about  fate.  Let  it 
alone.  Don't  think  about  it.  If  it  comes,  you 
must  meet  it,  and  suffer,  if  need  be;  but  forget 
that  there  is  such  a  word.  Erase  it  from  the  dic- 
tionary of  your  mind. 

Remember  that  you  are  "the  captain  of  your 
soul,*'  and  may  be  "the  master  of  your  fate." 


191 


OPEN-AIR  LIFE 

NATURE,  the  original  caretaker  and  physi- 
cian, did  not  provide  for  clothing  or  for 
housing.  She  presented  man  with  the  Great 
Open,  and  said  to  him,  "All  outdoors  is  yours." 

Nature  did  not  speak  of  indoors,  because  she 
had  no  indoors  to  give,  and  there  was  no  indoors 
at  the  creation. 

The  fact  that  Nature  provided  neither  clothes 
nor  houses  must  not  be  taken  as  a  reason  why 
man  should  not  w^ar  clothes  or  why  he  should 
sleep  in  the  snow  or  in  the  rain. 

Nature  provided  the  material  for  clothes,  but 
she  did  not  weave  it;  she  gave  the  wood  for 
houses,  but  she  did  not  hew  it ;  and  man  w^as  per- 
mitted to  do  as  he  pleased  with  what  had  been 
generously  donated. 

Yet  the  fact  that  Nature  did  not  provide  an 
outer  covering  for  man,  and  houses  for  him  to 
live  in,  may  be  taken  as  evidence  that  her  original 
intent  was  not  for  him  to  live  wholly  within 
doors  and  to  use  his  body  as  a  rack  upon  which 
192 


OPEN-AIR  LIFE 


to  hang  uncomfortable,  and  often  too  much,  rai- 
ment. 

Years  ago,  within  the  remembrance  of  our 
passing  generation,  the  consumptive  was  placed 
in  a  closed  room  and  was  ordered  to  breathe 
through  a  tube.  Night  air  was  looked  upon  as 
poisonous,  and  tuberculosis  was  always  fatal. 
Millions  of  men  and  women  died,  not  because 
they  had  consumption,  but  because  consumption 
was  given  the  right  of  wa}^  because  they  surren- 
dered to  it  and  let  it  win. 

To-day  ninety  per  cent,  of  consumptives  can 
live  and  flourish  if,  in  the  early  stages  of  the  dis- 
ease, they  are  permitted  to  have  all  the  air  Na- 
ture intended  them  to  breathe  and  the  nourishing 
food  she  has  provided  for  them,  unspoiled  by 
French  seasoning  and  American  sauces.  Open- 
air  schools  are  being  established  all  over  Amer- 
ica, and  in  every  case  the  results  have  far  ex- 
ceeded expectation. 

Thousands  of  people  are  sleeping  out-of-doors 
to-day  who  slept  in  air-tight  bedrooms  yesterday. 
Men  and  women  of  sense,  although  they  still  re- 
main in  the  minority,  have  all  their  bedroom 
windows  open,  and  are  as  careful  to  ventilate 
their  homes  as  they  are  to  heat  them. 

Even  business  has  been  impressed  by  the  value 
193 


OPEN-AIR  LIFE 


of  good  health,  and,  without  thought  of  anything 
but  financial  profit,  is  providing  ventilated  fac- 
tories and  airy  offices. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  enlightenment,  an  al- 
together too  large  proportion  of  the  human  race 
is  sleeping  in  unventilated  rooms  and  working  in 
airless  buildings,  with  the  result  that  millions  of 
our  people  are  inflicting  on  themselves  diseases 
of  every  kind,  when  air  still  remains  free  and  un- 
controlled by  monopoly. 

Sometime  the  unintelligent  will  be  sufficiently 
educated  to  realize  that  fresh  air  is  a  cheap  pre- 
ventive and  curative  medicine.  They  will  not 
make  a  specialty  of  cultivating  harmful  germs 
in  close  and  stuffy  rooms,  but  will  render  it  hard 
for  these  tormenting  and  unwelcome  visitors  to 
find  a  congenial  resting  place. 

Sleep  with  plenty  of  air.  Work  with  all  the 
air  you  can  get.  Breathe  all  the  air  that  your 
lungs  are  capable  of  holding. 

The  more  air,  the  better.    It's  free. 


194 


HE  CLOSED  THE  DOOR 

JOHN  was  an  iceman.  For  years  he  had  driven 
his  wagon  along  the  Boston  boulevards  and 
through  the  back  alleys.  He  was  a  strong,  husky 
fellow,  popular  with  his  boss  and  with  his  cus- 
tomers. He  was  accommodating,  and  his  ring- 
ing "Good  morning"  was  always  welcome.  He 
was  ambitious,  but  didn't  know^  it;  was  satisfied 
because  over  his  horizon  little  had  arisen  save  a 
horse  and  an  ice  cart. 

Among  his  customers  was  a  multi-millionaire, 
the  president  of  a  bank  and  the  owner  of  the 
largest  factory  in  the  city.  The  basement  door 
was  located  under  his  library.  Every  morning 
this  man  of  business  sat  before  the  open  win- 
dow, or  before  the  glowing  grate,  and  read  his 
morning  paper.  Old  as  he  was,  busy  as  he  al- 
ways had  been,  his  eye  had  not  lost  its  power  of 
penetration  or  his  ear  its  acuteness.  He  saw  and 
he  heard  more  than  most  men.  The  grocery  boys, 
the  market  men,  and  others  delivered  their  goods 
below  his  window,  and  every  one,  save  the  ice- 
man, slammed  the  door  when  he  went  in  and 
slammed  it  when  he  came  out;  but  John  always 
closed  it  softly. 

195 


HE  CLOSED  THE  DOOR 


One  day,  as  John  was  leaving,  the  milHonaire 
poked  his  head  out  of  the  window  and  exclaimed : 
"Say,  you  man,  why  don't  you  slam  the  door  as 
the  other  fellows  do?" 

John  was  confused  for  a  moment;  then  he 
pulled  himself  together  and  replied: 

"What's  the  use  of  being  a  nuisance  when  you 
don't  have  to  be?" 

"Got  a  moment  to  spare?"  asked  the  million- 
aire. 

"Sure,"  replied  John. 

"Come  upstairs." 

John,  in  heavy  boots  and  overalls,  with  hat  in 
hand,  stood  at  the  library  door. 

"Sit  down,  my  man,"  said  the  millionaire. 

John  perched  himself  on  the  arm  of  a  chair. 

"Get  into  that  chair  so  as  to  be  comfortable." 

John  slid  into  the  seat. 

"Here,  have  a  cigar,"  and  the  business  man 
pushed  a  box  toward  him. 

The  iceman  held  the  cigar  in  his  fingers,  not 
daring  to  light  it. 

"Light  up,  sir.  While  you're  smoking,  I  have 
something  to  say  to  you.    Like  your  job?" 

"Why,  yes,  sir,"  replied  John,  in  surprise. 

"Ever  thought  of  getting  something  better?" 

"Guess  I  ain't  fit  for  anything  else." 
196 


HE  CLOSED  THE  DOOR 


"I  differ  from  you,"  said  the  millionaire  em- 
phatically. "You  are  the  only  gentleman  who  de- 
livers goods  at  my  house,  the  only  one  who  is 
considerate,  who  thinks  while  he  works.  I  won't 
ask  who  you  are  or  what  you  are.  I  want  a  door- 
keeper at  my  factory  office.    The  job  is  yours." 

In  a  week  John  was  at  his  post.  In  a  year  he 
was  promoted.  To-day  he  isn't  a  partner,  and 
he  isn't  superintendent  of  the  factory,  but  he  is 
drawing  two  thousand  a  year,  and  is  the  most 
popular  man  on  the  premises. 

Shutting  a  door  softly  isn't  much,  is  it?  But 
it  is  one  of  those  little  things  which  people  don't 
have  to  do  that  mark  the  man  who  does  them. 

In  the  arithmetic  of  life,  the  decimals  as  well 
as  the  big  figures  count. 

Don't  take  chances  with  little  things.  They 
are  often  more  important  than  those  which  seem 
to  loom  larger  on  the  horizon. 


197 


THE  MOUNTAIN  AND  THE 
VALLEY 

THE  mountain-top  is  small.  There  is  hardly 
room  enough  there  for  the  few  who  reach 
its  height,  and  unless  those  who  do  keep  a  firm 
foothold  they  may  be  pushed  off  and  dashed  to 
pieces. 

The  way  to  the  mountain-top  is  steep  and  rug- 
ged, the  rocks  are  slippery,  and  the  path  is  full 
of  landsHdes. 

The  valley  is  broad  and  fertile,  and  there  is 
room  enough  there  for  planting  and  for  har- 
vesting. 

The  ordinary  man  can  earn  his  living  in  the 
valley;  the  extraordinary  man  may  be  able  to 
attach  himself  to  the  mountain-top. 

I  am  not  asking  you,  young  man,  not  to  travel 
upward,  nor  am  I  suggesting  that  you  forever 
remain  on  the  plains,  but  I  am  attempting  to 
picture  the  dangers  of  steep  climbing,  and  the 
liability  of  not  being  able  to  find  a  foothold  at 
the  top. 

Better,  far  better,  be  a  good  tiller  of  the  soil 
down  in  the  green  valley  than  starve  among  the 
mountain's  rocks. 

198 


THE  MOUNTAIN  AND  THE  VALLEY 

In  these  days  of  strenuous  business,  of  liberal 
education,  and  of  opportunity,  the  old  adage  that 
"There  is  always  room  at  the  top"  is  not  as  true 
as  it  used  to  be,  for  even  though  there  may  be 
room  at  the  very  top,  one  must  take  fearful 
chances  in  climbing,  and  he  will  meet  strenuous 
men  en  route,  ready  and  anxious  to  win,  not  only 
by  advancing  themselves,  but  by  pushing  others 
down. 

The  tendency  to  go  beyond  one's  ability,  to 
occupy  positions  unnatural  and  difficult  to  hold, 
is  responsible  for  many  a  failure  and  has  ruined 
many  men  who  would  have  been  successful  had 
they  stayed  in  the  valley,  and  had  they  been  con- 
tented and  industrious,  with  good  prospect  of 
prosperity. 

Ambition  should  be  made  of  sterner  stuff 
than  that  which  drives  a  man  out  of  himself 
into  unknown  regions,  or  into  places  too 
high  for  him  to  gain  a  footing,  a  footing  which, 
even  if  he  does  gain  it,  he  may  be  unable  to 
keep. 

It  is  your  duty  to  do  your  best,  to  make  the 
most  of  yourself,  to  encourage  rather  than  to 
cramp  ambition,  to  use  common  sense  in  the 
making  of  yourself,  that  brand  of  good  sense 
w^hich  does  not  allow  you  to  stay  below  your  level 
199 


THE  MOUNTAIN  AND  THE  VALLEY 

and  which  will  prevent  you  from  striving  to  go 
beyond  it. 

Thousands  of  men  move  from  where  they  are, 
dissatisfied  and  disgruntled,  and  enter  new  and 
unknown  fields,  when,  if  they  had  remained  at 
home,  making  the  best  of  their  opportunities, 
they  would  have  been  worth  more  to  themselves 
and  to  the  world. 

Where  you  are,  unless  it  is  below  the  surface, 
may  be  the  best  place  in  which  for  you  to  work 
and  to  stay.  Certainly  you  should  not  allow 
yourself  to  leave  your  base  of  operations  until 
you  are  sure  that  where  you  are  is  not  the  place 
for  you  to  be  in,  and  until  you  know  of  a  loca- 
tion within  the  probable  scope  of  your  capacity. 

Beware  of  the  top  unless  there  is  a  safe  road 
leading  to  it. 


200 


JOHN  AND  TOM 

JOHN  and  Tom  were  classmates.  For  several 
years  they  studied  and  played  together.  Both 
were  attentive,  well  behaved,  honest,  and  neither 
appeared  to  be  superior  to  the  other.  After 
graduation  they  entered  a  w^holesale  dry  goods 
house,  began  at  the  bottom,  and  were  given  op- 
portunity to  learn  the  business. 

During  the  first  year  there  was  no  perceptible 
difference  in  their  work,  or  the  result  of  it,  and 
both  received  the  same  amount  of  raise  in  salary. 
At  the  end  of  the  second  year,  however,  John  was 
promoted  and  occupied  a  position  much  above 
that  held  by  Tom.  Why?  Did  John  possess 
greater  ability  that  Tom?  Was  he  more  faith- 
ful? Was  he  more  attentive  to  his  duties? 
Probably  not.  He  did  one  thing,  however,  the 
importance  of  which  Tom  did  not  seem  to  real- 
ize. He  became  familiar  not  only  with  those 
things  which  pertained  to  his  immediate  duties 
and  to  his  department  of  work,  but  he  went  be- 
yond them.  He  visited  other  dry  goods  stores 
and  studied  their  methods.  He  talked  with  men 
in  his  line  of  work  who  were  connected  with 

201 


JOHN  AND  TOM 


Other  establishments.  He  read  dry  goods  trade 
papers  and  every  book  upon  the  subject  which 
he  could  obtain.  He  grounded  himself  in  dry 
goods,  knew  the  history  of  the  business,  and,  to 
a  large  extent,  the  action  and  policy  of  it,  not 
only  in  regard  to  his  own  house,  but  with  refer- 
ence to  dry  goods  houses  in  general.  He  be- 
came familiar  with  credits ;  he  followed  the  mar- 
ket. In  five  years  he  was  the  head  of  a  large 
department,  and  in  ten  years  a  member  of  the 
firm,  although,  of  course,  his  interest  was  small. 

I  am  aware  that  this  rapid  promotion  is  un- 
usual, for  many  a  good  man,  ambitious  and  tak- 
ing the  initiative,  does  not  become  a  partner  in 
ten  years,  or  twenty  years,  or  thirty  years;  but 
it  may  be  stated  as  a  fact  that  no  one  who  does 
not  do  as  John  did  ever  gets  beyond  a  subordi- 
nate position  or  is  allowed  to  assume  more  than 
ordinary  responsibility. 

Tom  was  as  faithful,  as  honest,  as  hard  a 
worker  as  John.  Tom  worked,  and  was  satis- 
fied with  doing  his  duty.  John  worked,  and  did 
more  than  his  duty.  Tom  attended  to  those 
things  which  he  was  told  to  do.  John  did  all 
that  Tom  did,  and  more.  Tom  loved  to  work, 
and  worked.  John,  too.  loved  to  work,  and 
worked,  but  he  also  threw  his  mind  into  his  work. 

202 


JOHN  AND  TOM 


He  made  it  a  part  of  himself,  and,  therefore,  it 
was  not  drudgery. 

The  foregoing  is  but  another  illustration  of 
the  contention  which  I  have  always  made, 
namely,  that  doing  one's  duty  is  not  sufficient, 
that  faithfulness  is  not  enough.  To  succeed,  and 
to  occupy  a  position  above  a  subordinate  one,  re- 
quire not  only  work  and  hard  work,  but  an  in- 
tense love  for  the  work,  and,  above  all,  the  tak- 
ing of  the  initiative,  doing  what  you  do  not  have 
to  do,  assuming  responsibility  which  is  not  placed 
upon  you,  feeling  that  you  are  a  part  of  the  busi- 
ness and  not  a  mere  employee. 

The  load  that  you  voluntarily  shoulder  is  not 
half  as  hard  to  carry  as  is  the  burden  which  is 
thrust  upon  you. 


203 


SALARY  RAISING 

I  ASKED  James  Hosburgh,  Jr.,  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  successful  officials  of  his  class,  how  he  ob- 
tained his  first  raise  of  salary.    He  replied: 

"One  word  will  say  all  there  is  to  tell  about 
it — work.  I  never  did  anything  else  but  w^ork 
and  look  ahead.  Promotion  came,  and  with  it 
increased  earnings.  There  was  nothing  spectacu- 
lar about  it,  but  merely  persistent  effort  to  ac- 
complish the  task  in  hand,  and  be  prepared  for 
new  tasks  when  opportunity  offered  or  advance- 
ment brought  them." 

I  have  put  this  question,  and  similar  questions, 
to  hundreds,  yes,  thousands,  of  representative 
business  and  professional  men,  men  of  mark, 
men  of  national  reputations.  There  was  a  sim- 
ilarity to  their  answers,  for  practically  all  of  them 
either  started  in  as  Mr.  Hosburgh  did,  by  em- 
phasizing work,  or  else  brought  work  into  another 
part  of  their  replies. 

I  am  not  so  materialistic  as  to  think  that  per- 
sistent and  continuous  work,  unrelieved  by  any 
diversion,  is  the  universal  panacea  for  all  failure 
204 


SALARY  RAISING 


and  the  secret  of  all  success,  for  I  believe  that 
play  is  second  only  in  importance  to  work,  that 
good  work  is  dependent  to  a  large  extent  upon 
good  play,  and  that  the  man  who  works  all  the 
time  accomplishes  less  than  he  who  works  when 
he  should  work  and  plays  when  he  should  play, 
rendering  to  play  and  to  work  what  both  de- 
serve. Yet  I  wish  to  say,  with  all  the  emphasis 
that  print  is  capable  of  expressing,  that  he  who 
does  not  work,  work  honestly,  work  systemati- 
cally, work  persistently,  he  who  does  not  love 
work,  is  never  going  to  amount  to  anything  in 
any  department  of  business  or  in  any  other  field 
of  accomplishment. 

I  have  talked  with  thousands  of  men,  and  I 
have  never  found  one  who  amounted  to  anything, 
who  was  respected  in  business,  at  the  club,  in  the 
church,  or  in  any  other  place,  w^ho  did  not  work, 
and  work  honestly  and  systematically. 

The  society  man  who  does  not  work  is  a  plain 
and  simple  fool,  and  I  should  use  a  stronger  word 
if  the  dictionary  would  furnish  it.  He  is  not 
even  respected  by  his  kind. 

Is  there  anything  more  despicable,  except  a 

moral  coward,  than  a  strong,  able-bodied  man,  a 

man  with  some  latent  ability,  who  fritters  his 

time   away,    with  no   definite   aim,    no   definite 

205 


SALARY  RAISING 


ideals,  no  definite  work,  in  life?  He  isn't  even 
in  the  same  class  with  the  butterfly,  for  the  lat- 
ter contributes  its  gift  of  beauty  for  the  pleasure 
of  the  world. 

The  idle  man  contributes  nothing  worth  while ; 
he  has  no  excuse  for  existing.  He  receives,  but 
he  does  not  give.  He  enjoys  what  others  have 
struggled  to  produce,  and  offers  nothing  in  re- 
turn. He  is  a  parasite,  living  on  the  results  of 
others'  labors. 

Work  and  you  may  succeed — you  probably 
will.    Refuse  to  work  and  you  are  sure  to  fail. 

Real,  honest  labor  brings  satisfactory  fruition, 
the  joy  of  accomplishment,  and  probable  material 
reward. 

It  is  worth  your  while  to  work. 


206 


HAPPINESS 

ERASMUS  WILSON,  the  well-known  jour- 
nalist, and  president  of  one  of  the  largest 
corps  of  the  Boy  Scouts  of  America,  in  an  ad- 
dress before  one  of  my  classes,  said,  among  other 
things : 

*'No  one  can  give  us  happiness.  He  can  only 
contribute  toward  it.  Happiness  is  the  reflex 
which  comes  to  us  from  something  we  have 
done." 

Happiness  is  a  natural  heritage,  and  we  have 
as  much  right  to  demand  it,  to  get  it,  to  enjoy  it, 
as  we  have  to  view  a  beautiful  landscape  or  to 
revel  in  the  sunshine. 

Without  happiness  personal  pleasure  is  impos- 
sible. I  will  go  even  farther  and  say  that  a  sac- 
rifice without  happiness  does  not  do  anybody  any 
good,  either  the  receiver  or  the  giver.  The  sac- 
rifice which  contributes  to  the  betterment  of  our- 
selves, or  of  others,  brings  with  it  the  happiness 
due  to  something  well  done.  Even  the  martyrs 
were  happy,  although  they  suffered  physical  tor- 
ture, and  in  their  last  agonies  they  saw  clearly 
207 


HAPPINESS 


outlined  on  the  sky  of  the  future  an  adequate  re- 
ward. 

The  men  of  the  world,  the  society  fools,  and 
those  who  are  dissipated,  do  not  enjoy  real  hap- 
piness, although  they  may  feel  that  ''seeing  life," 
as  they  call  it,  contributes  to  their  pleasure. 
There  is  no  genuine  happiness,  no  real  satisfac- 
tion, no  anything  that  contributes  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  ourselves,  which  is  not  connected  with  a 
good  deed. 

So  much  pleasure  may  be  derived  from  help- 
ing our  fellows  that  I  sometimes  feel  that  the 
doer  of  good  is  under  obligations  to  the  receiver 
of  it,  because  the  former  has  that  satisfaction, 
that  happiness,  which  can  come  in  no  other  way. 

We  are  remembered  not  for  the  money  we 
have,  not  for  the  positions  we  have  occupied,  but 
for  the  good  we  have  done  to  others. 

Good  deeds  never  die,  and  I  humbly  and  mod- 
estly disagree  with  the  Bard  of  Avon,  who  said : 
"The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them ;  the  good 
is  often  interred  with  their  bones." 

Bad  men  are  forgotten;  good  men  live  for- 
ever. The  memory  of  them  in  this  world  never 
fades. 

Business,  hard  as  it  is,  is  not  as  cruel  as  it  used 
to  be.  Our  leading  merchants  and  our  captains 
208 


HAPPINESS 


of  industry  are  learning  that  honesty  is  the  best 
business  policy,  that  generosity  is  a  business  as- 
set, that  lasting  profit  comes  only  to  those  who 
treat  their  customers  as  they  would  be  treated 
themselves,  and  who,  in  consummating  a  trade, 
realize  that  the  sale  is  not  profitable  to  either 
party  unless  it  benefits  both  alike. 

Happiness  has  become  a  part  of  business.  Our 
best  business  men  are  happy  in  their  work,  happy 
because  they  are  making  money,  and  happy  be- 
cause, while  making  that  money,  they  are  aiding 
others  to  be  successful. 

The  employee  who  is  respected  by  his  em- 
ployer, who  is  loved  by  his  fellow  workers,  is  one 
who  thinks  of  others  as  well  as  of  himself,  and 
who  rises,  not  by  putting  others  down,  but  by 
helping  others  to  rise  with  him. 

Honesty  and  profitable  competition  are  not  re- 
moved from  generosity  and  even  love.  Our  great 
merchants  no  longer  attempt  to  crowd  the  other 
fellow  out,  but,  rather,  succeed  by  joining  hands 
with  him,  each  working  for  himself,  each  work- 
ing for  the  other. 

Boards  of  trade  and  chambers  of  commerce 

are  springing  up  all  over  the  world,  and  men  who 

hitherto  have  been  fierce  competitors,  heartless 

and  even  brutal  in  their  transactions,  are  meeting 

209 


HAPPINESS 


around  the  festive  board,  exchanging  experiences, 
working  for  better  general  business,  as  well  as  for 
personal  profit. 

Co-operation  is  in  the  very  air  we  breathe,  and 
co-operation  stands  for  happiness. 

If  you  are  not  happy,  you  are  a  failure. 


210 


DOING  AS  YOU  PLEASE 

BECAUSE  we  don't  know  the  other  fellow's 
job,  because  we  are  unfamiliar  with  his  en- 
vironment, because  we  do  not,  and  cannot,  real- 
ize his  responsibilities  and  his  perplexities,  we 
are  likely  to  think  that  he  has  what  the  boys  call 
a  "snap,"  to  feel  that  he  does  as  he  pleases,  and 
to  envy  him. 

I  have  met  and  I  have  known  thousands  of 
business  and  professional  men  of  every  degree 
of  success  and  attainment.  Basing  my  remarks 
upon  actual  experience,  I  may  say  that  I  have 
never  known  a  man,  high  up,  low  down,  or  oc- 
cupying a  place  in  the  middle,  who  did  as  he 
pleased,  or  who  could  do  as  he  pleased. 

The  owner  of  a  great  business  enterprise,  with 
thousands  of  men  in  his  employ,  may  appear  to 
be  captain  of  his  industry,  and  it  may  seem  to 
those  who  do  not  know  him,  and  who  have  not 
followed  him,  that  he  is  independent  and  may 
do  as  he  likes  without  hindrance.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  he  is  not  in  command  of  his  enterprise, 
although  he  holds  legal  title  to  it,  although  he 
may  tell  this  man  to  go  one  way  and  that  man 

211 


DOING  AS  YOU  PLEASE 


to  go  another,  although  he  may  decide  whether 
or  not  he  will  build  a  new  factory,  put  a  new 
line  of  goods  on  the  market,  or  change  his  busi- 
ness policy. 

If  he  is  in  business,  he  does,  not  as  he  pleases, 
but  as  his  customer  demands.  If  he  does  not, 
he  loses  his  business. 

The  real  "boss"  of  business  is  not  the  man  who 
owns  it,  but  the  customer,  for  without  the  cus- 
tomer there  would  be  no  business. 

The  great  general  in  command  of  an  army 
may,  if  he  will,  order  his  men  to  the  right  or  to 
the  left,  to  remain  in  the  trenches,  or  to  make  a 
change,  yet  he  cannot  do  as  he  pleases,  because 
he  is  subject  to  the  rules  of  warfare  and  cannot 
disregard  precedent  without  courting  disaster. 
Therefore,  instead  of  doing  as  he  pleases,  he  does 
what  others  have  told  him  is  best.  He  consults 
his  staff,  and,  although  he  gives  the  final  order, 
he  is  but  a  composite  general,  representing  others 
even  more  than  himself. 

The  office  boy  who  is  obliged  to  be  on  hand 
early  in  the  morning  and  to  sweep  out  and  dust, 
who  cannot  get  an  afternoon  off  without  asking 
his  employer's  consent,  may  feel  that  he  is  alto- 
gether too  much  under  the  rule  of  discipline  and 
that  his  employer,  who  seems  to  go  where  he 

212 


DOING  AS  YOU  PLEASE 


will  and  to  do  as  he  pleases,  occupies  a  position 
of  complete  independence.  It  appears  that  the 
employer  is  more  independent  than  is  the  em- 
ployee, and  may  to  a  larger  extent  follow  his 
own  will,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  is  practi- 
cally as  much  under  discipline,  as  much  subject 
to  rules  and  regulations,  as  is  the  humblest  man 
w^ho  works  under  him;  for,  if  he  should  depart 
from  established  principles,  he  would  become  a 
bankrupt.  If  he  does  not  attend  to  business,  his 
customers  will  not  do  business  with  him. 

Back  of  it  all  in  business  is  the  customer;  and 
In  business,  and  everywhere  else,  public  opinion, 
established  rules,  precedent,  right  and  wrong 
methods,  all  make  a  composite  master,  under 
which  every  man  works,  whether  he  is  the 
president  of  a  republic,  the  king  of  a  great  na- 
tion, or  the  motorman  of  a  trolley  car. 

Such  a  thing  as  complete  independence  does 
not  exist.  The  only  independence  that  is  worth 
anything,  that  can  be  counted  on  to  help  one  in 
his  daily  life,  is  the  independence  which  is  de- 
pendent, which  recognizes  the  rights  of  others, 
and  which  does  not  strut  through  the  world  with 
an  antagonizing  chip  on  its  shoulder,  claiming 
the  right  to  wear  it  and  refusing  to  give  permis- 
sion to  anybody  to  knock  it  off. 
213 


THE  LISTENER 

EVERY  man  who  does  not  know  anything, 
and  most  men  who  do  know  something,  love 
to  talk  about  what  they  think  they  know  or  do 
know. 

The  close-mouthed  merchant,  the  *  yea,  yea, 
nay,  nay"  sort  of  a  fellow,  who  uses  his  mind 
more  than  his  mouth,  will,  if  encouraged,  talk 
for  hours  upon  any  subject  in  which  he  is  in- 
tensely interested.  His  head  is  a  storehouse  of 
information,  and,  although  he  may  have  more  en- 
trances than  exits,  he  will  open  himself  to  any- 
one who  knows  how  to  knock  at  the  door  of  his 
brain. 

I  have  a  friend  who,  although  not  liberally  ed- 
ucated, possesses  more  general  information  to 
the  cubic  inch  than  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  edu- 
cators have  to  the  cubic  foot,  and  that  is  seven- 
teen hundred  and  twenty-eight  to  one.  He  ob- 
tained this  knowledge  largely  because  he  was  a 
good  listener  and  possessed  the  ability  to  make 
others  talk.  If  he  was  riding  on  a  train  he  would 
select  from  among  the  passengers  the  man  who 
he  thought  was  intelligent  and  carried  with  him 
214 


THE  LISTENER 


a  heavy  stock  of  information.  In  a  diplomatic 
way  he  would  discover  the  stranger's  business 
or  profession  and  the  subject  in  which  he  was 
the  most  interested.  He  would  turn  the  conver- 
sation in  that  direction,  asking  an  intelligent 
question  here  and  there,  and  showing  deep  in- 
terest in  the  subject.  He  seldom  failed  to  obtain 
the  desired  result.  He  met  all  classes  of  people, 
from  the  classical  student  to  the  keeper  of  a  meat 
market,  and  from  each  he  drew  a  supply  of  in- 
formation, much  of  which,  naturally,  was  value- 
less. He  had  sense  enough,  however,  to  realize 
that  he  could  not  expect  to  receive  valuable  in- 
formation alone,  that  he  must  be  content  with 
chaff  as  well  as  with  wheat;  but  from  each  he 
drew  something  worth  while.  The  good  he  re- 
membered, the  worthless  he  forgot. 

Conversation  is,  I  believe,  the  best  medium  for 
the  obtaining  of  information.  Everybody  has 
something  of  his  own,  of  which  he  is  proud  and 
which  he  is  willing  to  distribute. 

Bear  in  mind,  however,  that  the  listener  is  only 
half  a  man.  He  must  give,  if  he  would  receive. 
He,  therefore,  is  not  only  a  good  Hstener,  but  a 
good  distributor.  He  simply  exchanges  what  he 
knows  for  what  others  know,  plays  a  game  of 
mutual  winning,  giving  what  he  can  afford  to 
215 


THE  LISTENER 


Spare,  and  taking  from  others  what  they  are  will- 
ing to  distribute. 

Social  as  well  as  business  life  is  based  upon 
exchange. 

Education  does  not  consist  of  receiving  and  of 
not  distributing. 

If  you  give  freely  to  others,  they  will  as  freely 
give  to  you. 

Conversation,  rightly  turned,  leads  to  profit. 

While  you  should  give  the  preference  to  the 
acquiring  of  information  which  is  directly  in 
your  line,  do  not  confine  your  mental  receipts 
to  that  alone.  Familiarity  with  general  affairs, 
even  though  many  of  them  may  not  be  of  direct 
benefit  to  you,  broadens  the  mind  and  makes  you 
better  able  to  use  yourself  to  the  fullest  advan- 
tage. 

Don't  be  afraid  of  knowing  too  much. 


216  / 


CULTURE 

THE  dictionary  defines  culture  as  "An  act  of 
improving  or  developing  by  education,  disci- 
pline, etc.;  the  state  of  being  cultivated;  refine- 
ment in  manners  and  taste." 

Culture,  like  all  other  good  things,  may  be  over- 
developed and  over-emphasized,  and  be  given  a 
position  which  it  does  not  deserve ;  and,  further, 
it  may  be  practised  to  an  extent  which  makes  its 
possessor  ridiculous. 

Many  members  of  the  so-called  cultured  class 
are  over-refined  and  unnatural.  They  worship  at 
the  shrine  of  culture,  forgetting  that  culture  in 
itself  is  worthless  and  that  true  culture  is  the 
result  of  character,  not  an  outside  garment. 

A  proportion  of  book-learned  and  superficially 
educated  people  have  refined  themselves  educa- 
tionally to  the  sacrifice  of  character  and  useful- 
ness. While  of  the  earth,  earthy,  they  attempt  to 
place  themselves  above  the  ground  that  they  may 
look  down  upon  men  and  things  better  than  they 
are. 

Any  form  of  culture,  or  any  manifestation  of 
education,  real  or  imaginary,  is  valueless  unless 
it  is  combined  with  intrinsic  character  and  unless 
217 


CULTURE 


it  represents  real  attainment,  and  not  the  mere 
exercise  of  memory  or  an  overstock  of  book- 
learning. 

The  true  man  is  naturally,  not  arbitrarily  or 
superficially,  a  gentleman,  and  he  is  naturally  cul- 
tivated, although  he  may  know  nothing  about  the 
rules  of  ultra-culture. 

Great  men,  whether  educated  or  not,  are  natu- 
ral first  and  cultured  afterwards.  Their  refine- 
ment is  the  finish  of  character,  not  a  varnish.  In 
fact,  I  may  say  that  truly  cultured  people  never 
claim  to  be  cultured  and  never  parade  their  edu- 
cation. They  are  manly.  They  use  what  they 
have  obtained  for  the  benefit  of  society,  whether 
they  are  teachers,  traders,  or  diggers  of  the  soil. 
They  do  not  live  in  feudal  houses  with  walled 
premises.  They  mingle  with  the  world,  and,  al- 
though they  never  descend  to  the  w^holly  worldly, 
they  recognize  the  world  in  which  they  live. 

Culture  which  is  taken  like  a  medicine  or  put 
on  like  a  gown  is  merely  the  veneer  of  the  real. 
True  culture  and  true  refinement  come  from  the 
inside  and  manifest  themselves  outwardly.  They 
are  obtained  by  living  correctly,  by  improving 
opportunity,  and  by  having  an  everlasting  respect 
for  others  and  an  unquenchable  desire  to  benefit 
humanity. 

218 


CULTURE 


Education  and  refined  environment  will  help 
to  develop  culture,  but  neither  by  itself  will  pro- 
duce any  grade  of  it  worth  the  cultivating. 

Probably  half  of  the  so-called  cultured  have 
the  bacteria,  not  the  life,  of  culture  in  them. 
They  are  snobs,  with  no  conception  of  what  cul- 
ture is  and  they  do  not  know  how  to  define  re- 
finement. They  are  gentlemen  in  appearance, 
first,  last,  and  always,  and  they  place  culture  on 
a  pinnacle  without  a  substantial  foundation. 

Do  not  try  to  be  cultured.  Do  not  try  to  be 
refined.  Be  manly.  If  you  love  your  fellow 
men,  if  you  would  improve  yourself  to  the  limit 
of  your  capacity,  whether  you  are,  or  are  to  be, 
a  college  professor,  a  seller  of  groceries,  or  a 
bootblack,  give  no  thought  to  culture.  Make  the 
most  of  yourself,  and  culture  will  take  care  of 
itself. 


219 


CASTE 

CASTE  is  a  relic  of  barbarism,  one  of  the 
slow-dying  faults  of  early  savagery  which 
have  been  handed  down  by  our  ancestors.  It  is 
responsible,  in  large  measure,  for  lack  of  co- 
operation, and  is  an  active  enemy  to  the  practice 
of  the  principle  of  the  Golden  Rule.  It  exists  in 
every  stratum  of  society,  and  even  business  is 
permeated  with  it. 

While  every  member  of  the  human  race  has  a 
right  to  select  his  associates,  and  while  civiliza- 
tion and  ethics  do  not  require  anyone  to  associate 
with  those  who  are  distasteful  to  him,  the  prin- 
ciple of  caste  is  wrong,  and  exists  without  ex- 
cuse or  reason. 

Even  the  educational  institution  is  not  free 
from  this  objectionable  element.  The  students 
divide  themselves  into  cliques  and  classes  and  of- 
ten refuse  to  intermingle  with  one  another,  to 
the  detriment  of  everyone  concerned. 

During  the  action  of  business  it  is  obvious  that 
necessary  and  essential  discipline  will  not  allow 
the  head  of  the  department,  or  the  proprietor 
himself,  to  consider  his  employees,  for  the  time 

220 


CASTE 

being,  his  equals  in  the  shop,  store,  or  office ;  for 
he  must,  if  he  would  succeed,  employ  reasonable 
discipline.  This  condition,  however,  does  not 
offer  excuse  for  caste,  and  should  not  permit  any- 
one to  look  down  upon  another  because  the  other 
is  inferior  to  him  in  intelligence  or  is  poorer 
financially. 

The  formation  of  cliques,  or  the  division  of 
employees  into  caste  sections,  works  for  the  in- 
jury of  each  employee  and  the  business  as  a 
whole.  It  creates  petty  jealousies,  unjustifiable 
misunderstandings,  and  the  worst  form  of  com- 
petition. 

It  is  a  fact  that  truly  great  men,  men  great  in 
intelligence,  or  great  in  accomplishment,  are  the 
most  democratic  of  all,  and  have  a  wholesome 
contempt  for  the  snob  or  social  climber. 

The  great  merchant  is  usually  polite  and  con- 
siderate of  his  employees;  the  ignorant,  overbear- 
ing storekeeper  feels  that  he  is  made  of  dif- 
ferent material  and  that  he  will  be  contaminated 
if  he  associates  with  those  whom  he  considers  his 
inferiors.  He  seldom  succeeds  in  business,  and 
he  has  no  standing  in  good  society. 

Snobbishness  is  not  limited  to  the  employer. 
The  employee  of  every  grade  has  as  much  of  it. 
The  ten-dollar-a-week  boy  looks  down  upon  the 

221 


CASTE 

six-dollar-a-week  employee,  forgetting  that  but  a 
short  time  ago  he  occupied  as  low  a  position. 

I  am  not  asking  any  boy  or  man  to  choose  his 
intimate  friends  without  regard  to  preference 
and  without  considering  mutual  interests,  but  I 
am  bitterly  opposed,  both  from  a  moral  and  busi- 
ness point  of  view,  to  the  formation  of  any  class 
or  set  which  considers  itself  better  than  another. 

Getting  together  is  the  life  of  society,  and  the 
life  of  trade.  Separation  into  classes  is  funda- 
mentally wrong  and  works  for  disaster.  If  the 
man  in  the  ranks  is  faithful  to  his  duty,  he  is  just 
as  much  worthy  of  respect  as  is  the  commander 
of  an  army  of  industry. 

If  you  do  your  best  where  you  are,  you  are  the 
equal  of  any  man  who  has  done  his  best,  whether 
he  trades  in  dollars  or  in  cents. 


222 


DISCRIMINATION 

ONE  of  the  differences  between  the  successful 
man  and  the  mediocre  is  that  the  former  has 
judgment  or  discrimination,  while  the  latter  is 
automatic  in  action,  does  what  he  is  told  to  do, 
and  goes  by  the  clock. 

The  president  of  a  large  corporation,  in  a  mo- 
ment of  irritation,  ordered  the  head  of  one  of 
his  departments  to  send  a  communication  to  all 
customers  who  had  failed  to  meet  their  obliga- 
tions to  the  firm.  He  did  not  discriminate;  he 
did  not  specify;  he  said  all. 

The  manager  did  as  he  was  told. 

The  result  was  that  more  than  fifty  good  cus- 
tomers rebelled,  and  some  of  them  would  not  be 
pacified. 

The  firm  lost  at  least  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  business. 

The  manager  did  what  he  was  told  to  do,  and, 
technically  speaking,  he  should  be  commended 
for  being  a  faithful  employee,  but  he  did  not  stop 
to  think ;  he  did  not  use  his  judgment ;  he  did  not 
discriminate.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  this 
223 


DISCRIMINATION 


order  was  given  in  a  moment  of  temporary  irri- 
tation. He  did  not  consult  other  officers  of  the 
company;  he  did  not  again  refer  the  matter  to 
the  president  when  that  official  had  become  nor- 
mal. He  simply  went  ahead  and  followed  orders. 
The  president  could  not  criticise  him,  for  the 
president  was  to  blame.  But — and  that  but  looms 
large  in  the  affairs  of  life — but,  if  the  manager 
had  discriminated,  if  he  had  thought,  if  he  had 
felt  his  responsibility,  he  would  not  have  blindly 
followed  orders.  He  would  have  tarried  a  while. 
He  would  not  have  disobeyed.  He  might  have 
gone  so  far  as  to  have  all  the  letters  written, 
when  he  might  have  again  referred  the  matter  to 
the  president,  in  which  case  his  judgment  could 
not  have  been  questioned. 

This  manager  still  retains  his  position,  but  his 
salary  remains  the  same,  and  he  has  not  been 
promoted.  He  can  be  trusted,  and  yet  he  cannot 
be  trusted.  He  is  to-day  looked  upon  as  an  auto- 
matic machine,  which  responds  to  the  touch  of 
a  button,  but  which  has  no  mind,  no  judgment, 
which  does  as  it  is  ordered  to  do,  neither  more 
nor  less. 

The  blind  follower  of  orders,  the  man  who 
does  not  think  for  himself,  but  lets  others  think 
for  him,  is  never  going  to  rise  high  in  the  ranks 
224 


DISCRIMINATION 


of  business  or  occupy  any  prominent  position  in 
the  affairs  of  life. 

Faithfulness  and  obedience  to  orders  are  to  be 
commended,  but  he  who  takes  an  order  thought- 
lessly and  executes  it  automatically  is  not  better 
than  the  clock  which  marks  time  but  does  noth- 
ing for  time. 

The  man  who  gets  ahead  has  initiative.  He 
is  ready  to  consult  his  friends;  he  is  glad  to  ask 
for  advice ;  but  he  thinks  out  his  own  problems, 
assisted  by  the  experience  of  others.  He  is  his 
own  court  of  last  appeal.  His  judgment  settles 
his  life  conduct.  By  contact  with  those  around 
him  he  develops  his  mental  power,  and  makes  his 
judgment  a  safe  guide  to  follow. 


225 


THE  GENTLEMAN 

THE  big  dictionary  defines  a  gentleman  as  "a 
man  well  born;  one  of  good  family,  though 
not  noble;  one  entitled  to  bear  a  coat  of  arms; 
sometimes  anyone  above  the  social  position  of  a 
yeoman;  a  man  of  gentle  or  refined  manners;  a 
well-bred  man  of  fine  feelings,  especially  one  of 
good  character,  raised  above  the  vulgar  by  edu- 
cation, habits  and  social  esteem ;  a  servant,  espe- 
cially a  valet,  of  a  man  of  rank;  a  man,  irrespec- 
tive of  condition." 

If  the  dictionary  is  right,  a  gentleman  can 
either  be  a  gentleman  in  himself  or  the  servant  of 
a  gentleman.  He  can  be  almost  anybody  if  he 
behaves  himself. 

Society,  how^ever,  has  defined  the  gentleman  in 
a  more  superficial  way,  and  considers  anybody  a 
gentleman  who  appears  to  be  one,  allowing  a  man 
to  pose  as  a  gentleman  if  his  dress  and  other 
outward  appearances  are  up  to  the  prescribed 
standard. 

The  term  "gentleman"  has  been  over-used  and 
misused  so  much  that  it  has  little  significance. 
Some  of  our  leading  railroads  and  institutions 
226 


THE  GENTLEMAN 


have  discarded  the  term  and  are  labeling  their 
waiting-rooms  "Men's  Rooms"  and  "Women's 
Rooms."  One  of  our  greatest  newspapers,  which 
to-day  is  considered  the  journalistic  authority  of 
America,  does  not  allow  the  terms  "lady"  and 
"gentleman"  to  appear  in  its  columns. 

Comparatively  few  of  our  great  actresses  are 
billed  as  "leading  ladies,"  but  are  spoken  of  as 
"leading  women." 

Undergraduates  of  colleges  are  not  referred  to 
as  "gentlemen,"  but  as  "college  men." 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  term  "lady'* 
was  originally  given  to  the  ranking  housekeeper 
of  nobility,  who  was  known  as  the  "keeper  of 
the  bread,"  or  as  the  "lady  of  the  house." 

A  manly  man  is  always  a  gentleman ;  a  gentle- 
man may  not  be  a  manly  man. 

I  am  not  opposed,  of  course,  to  the  display  of 
what  are  known  as  gentlemanly  instincts,  a  po- 
lite and  courteous  consideration  of  others,  re- 
finement in  conversation  or  acts,  for  these  little 
niceties  help  to  smooth  life's  rugged  way  and 
often  are  of  much  more  than  superficial  impor- 
tance ;  but  I  wish  to  say  emphatically  that  the  so- 
called  niceties  of  life  in  themselves  are  of  slight 
consequence,  unless  back  of  them  are  character 
and  manliness. 

227 


THE  GENTLEMAN 


The  great  men  of  the  world,  the  men  to  whom 
we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude,  the  men  who  have 
helped  to  make  this  world  what  it  is,  have  sel- 
dom concerned  themselves  with  being  gentle- 
manly in  a  social  sense.  They  have  been  men. 
They  have  done  all  that  they  could  for  their  fel- 
lows. They  have  been  gentlemen  innately,  not 
superficially.  Their  acts  have  been  guided  by 
character  and  have  not  been  the  result  of  a  re- 
gard for  society  manners. 

To  be  a  gentleman,  and  only  a  gentleman,  is 
to  be  nothing.  To  be  a  gentleman  because  of 
your  character,  because  of  your  love  for  your 
fellow  men,  because  of  your  desire  to  "make 
good,"  no  matter  what  your  environment  may  be, 
is  to  be  a  man — a  man  first,  a  gentleman  after- 
wards. 

Be  a  man,  and  you  can't  help  being  a  gentle- 
man. 


228 


INDEPENDENCE 

I  WOULD  not  take  one  microscopic  fraction  of 
an  ounce  from  the  individuality  of  man.  I 
have  no  respect  for  the  namby-pamby,  cringing 
person,  who  dodges  his  own  shadow  and  talks 
to  himself  and  to  others  in  a  whisper. 

The  world  admires  the  man  of  strong  charac- 
ter and  personality,  who  stands  firmly  upon  his 
own  feet  and  wins  from  his  own  individual  labor ; 
and  it  has  no  respect  for  the  fellow  whose  thought 
is  borrowed  from  others,  and  who  thinks  as 
others  think  because  he  is  too  lazy  to  think  for 
himself. 

Independence,  however,  may  be  as  great  a 
curse  as  it  should  be  a  blessing.  Like  all  good 
things,  it  must  be  used  properly.  In  its  pure 
state,  unmixed  with  diplomacy  and  a  recognition 
of  others'  rights,  it  is  as  virulent  as  a  poison;  it 
is  a  sword  with  its  sharp  end  for  the  handle,  likely 
to  injure  the  one  who  holds  it. 

The  ignorant,  the  conceited,  and  the  pompous 

are  almost  invariably  over-solicitous  about  what 

they  call  their  independence.    They  magnify  their 

weaknesses  into  the  semblance  of  strength;  they 

229 


INDEPENDENCE 


place  chips  upon  their  shoulders,  and,  with  an  air 
of  bravado,  dare  the  world  to  knock  them  off. 

The  independent  man  is  a  failure. 

No  one  man  possesses  more  than  limited  abil- 
ity. If  he  has  the  brains  to  combine  the  little 
which  he  has  with  the  much  that  collective  others 
possess,  he  may  lead  an  army  or  govern  a  coun- 
try; but,  if  he  depends  upon  himself  wholly,  re- 
fusing to  recognize  the  knowledge  and  the  abil- 
ity of  his  fellows,  he  will  find  that  his  very  inde- 
pendence is  a  millstone  hung  around  the  neck  of 
his  ability,  which  will,  sooner  or  later,  carry  him 
to  the  bottom. 

The  independence  which  recognizes  its  depen- 
dence is  the  independence  which  wins. 

The  independence  which  does  not  realize  its 
dependence  is  the  kind  which  leads  one  to  failure. 

Great  men  acknowledge  that  without  the  help 
of  others  they  never  would  have  risen  above  the 
ranks.  Their  independence  was  of  the  kind  which 
permitted  them  to  surround  themselves  with  the 
ability  of  others,  and,  while  they  did  not  either 
cringe  or  grovel,  they  respected  the  rights  of 
others  and  used  legitimately  the  talent  of  others, 
dividing  the  credit  among  themselves  and  their 
associates. 

The  great  general  depends  upon  his  staff  and 
230 


INDEPENDENCE 


his  men.  He  never  makes  a  movement,  except 
in  an  emergency,  without  consulting  with  his  sub- 
ordinate officers,  each  of  whom  is  supposed  to 
know  more  about  some  one  thing  than  he  does. 
He  exercises  his  independence,  and  commands  at 
will,  yet  he  is  dependent  upon  his  military  ex- 
perts. 

Dependence  upon  others,  when  others  know  as 
much  or  more  than  we  do,  getting  together,  ex- 
change of  experiences,  willingness  to  take  as  well 
as  to  give,  produce  the  only  brand  of  independ- 
ence worthy  of  the  name.  All  other  kinds  are 
spurious  and  dangerous  imitations  of  the  real, 
as  weak  and  penetrable  as  painted  armor  upon 
a  painted  frigate. 

The  independent  man  is  a  fool.  The  depen- 
dent man  is  an  idiot.  The  independent-dependent 
man  is  a  success. 


231 


MONEY 

SOMEBODY  long  ago  paraphrased  the  Scrip- 
tural text  so  that  it  read:  "With  all  thy  get- 
tings,  get  money." 

This  dangerous  advice  has  been  handed  down 
through  the  ages  as  a  motto  for  gaining  success 
and  an  epitaph  of  stifled  conscience. 

The  thinking  and  optimistic  minds  of  the  pres- 
ent, from  out  their  glowing  eyes,  look* up  the 
pathway  of  life's  evolution  into  a  moneyless  civi- 
lization, where  there  will  be  a  better  medium  of 
exchange  than  lifeless  gold  and  perishable  paper. 

There  seems  to  be  good  evidence  that  every 
crime  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Fall  of  Adam,  and  a  few  others,  was  due, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  an  undue  love  of  money ; 
and  the  records  of  our  courts  certainly  furnish 
unimpeachable  proof  that  money  is  the  prime 
mover,  or  the  accessory  cause,  of  substantially 
all  modern  crime. 

For  money  a  man  mutilates  his  body  and  sells 
his  soul.  For  the  sake  of  money  a  father  robs 
his  son,  and  a  son  murders  his  father.  For  the 
love  of  money  people  are  ground  into  the  unfer- 
tile earth,  and  with  the  power  of  money  privi- 
232 


MONEY 


leged  men  have  at  times  become  owners  of  gov- 
ernment and  keepers  of  human  Hfe. 

Every  man  with  brains  enough  to  solve  a  com- 
mon problem  believes,  yes,  feels  and  knows,  that 
on  the  great  evolutionary  track  of  life  right  must 
eventually  win,  and  that  the  justice  of  the  to-be 
civilized  man,  with  the  justice  of  the  always  com- 
pletely civilized  God,  will  finally  establish  a  law 
of  righteousness,  of  fairness,  of  equity,  and  of 
love,  and  that  this  condition  can  never  be  reached 
or  maintained  without  the  full  development  of 
the  good  and  the  complete  annihilation  of  the 
bad.  Then,  before  the  jointly  sitting  Bar  of  the 
Justice  of  God  and  of  the  Justice  of  Man,  will  the 
evil  of  money  be  sentenced  to  receive  its  punish- 
ment. 

To-day,  however — and  probably  this  will  be 
the  case  for  many  years  to  come — modern  money, 
with  its  good  and  its  evil,  will  remain  a  necessary 
element,  and,  therefore,  must  be  considered  as  a 
part  of  present  living  and  business. 

The  successful  man  of  the  higher  grade  is  he 
who  accomplishes  something,  whether  it  is  in 
money-earning,  or  in  anything  else,  for  the  mu- 
tual benefit  of  himself  and  of  others.  This  man 
is  rich,  whether  he  is  worth  a  dollar  or  millions 
of  dollars.  This  man  is  rich,  whether  he  is  a 
2ZZ 


MONEY 


shoemaker  or  a  railroad  president.  This  man  is 
rich,  whether  he  is  a  clerk  or  a  merchant.  This 
man  is  rich,  because  he  is  working  up  to  the  limit 
of  his  highest  capacity  and  doing  his  best  for 
himself  and  the  world. 

The  man  of  only  money  is  a  slave  of  money. 
He  has  no  individuality  save  as  the  taker,  keeper, 
and  spender  of  cash.  He  is  but  a  financial  raker, 
a  human  storehouse  of  perishable  product,  a  suc- 
cess of  the  lowest  grade. 

The  good  of  anything  is  in  its  distribution  and 
in  the  profitable  use  of  it. 

The  good  man,  the  man  of  real  success,  has 
friends  who  love  him,  not  for  his  money;  who 
respect  him,  not  for  his  bank  account;  friends 
who  firmly  grasp  his  hand  in  life,  and  who  shed 
over  his  grave  the  tears  of  genuine  sorrow. 
Within  the  fences  of  his  field  he  has  done  his 
best.  He  is  one  of  the  threads  in  the  billion- 
wired  cable  of  success,  which  does  its  full  share 
in  standing  the  strain  of  life.  This  man  is  not, 
and  could  not  be,  a  failure.  He  is,  and  has  to  be, 
a  success.  The  collateral  which  he  has  deposited 
in  the  Bank  of  Earth  is  payable  without  discount 
in  the  Treasury  of  Heaven.  The  seed  of  his 
earthly  sowing  forever  harvests  in  the  perpetual 
fertility  of  eternity. 

234 


THE  POWER  OF  MONEY 

THE  other  day  Dr.  John  Graham  Brooks, 
speaking  before  one  of  my  classes,  brought 
out  an  idea  which  is  the  basis  of  this  article. 

Two  men  left  the  factory,  empty  dinner  pails 
in  hand.  They  were  homeward  bound.  Each 
worked  at  the  same  bench  and  received  the  same 
wage.  Each  had  a  wife  and  children.  They 
lived  in  the  same  street.  Their  opportunities  were 
similar,  their  ability  about  the  same.  The  first 
man  stopped  at  a  saloon  and  bought  a  few  drinks. 
The  second  man,  in  passing  a  store  window,  saw 
a  little  picture  which  caught  his  fancy.  He  en- 
tered the  shop,  and,  finding  that  the  price  of  the 
picture  was  slight,  no  more  than  what  the  other 
fellow  had  paid  for  his  drinks,  he  purchased  it 
and  carried  it  home. 

The  first  man's  money  did  him  no  good  and 
much  harm.  It  injured  his  family,  and,  further, 
the  community.  The  liquor  dealer  replaced  the 
amount  of  whiskey  drunk  by  this  workman,  thus 
extending  the  liquor  trade. 

The  second  man's  purchase  had  lasting  value. 
It  brightened  the  sitting-room.  It  made  home 
235 


THE  POWER  OF  MONEY 


happier.  The  dealer  bought  another  picture  to 
take  the  place  of  the  one  which  had  been  sold, 
thus  encouraging  sensible  art. 

Every  time  we  spend  a  dollar  we  do  either 
harm  or  good  with  it.  If  we  spend  it  for  some- 
thing which  is  wrong,  we  not  only  injure  our- 
selves, but  the  community  in  which  we  live,  for 
by  our  purchase  we  encourage  and  spread  evil. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  what  we  buy  is  of  use,  we 
become  happier  ourselves  and  make  those  around 
us  happier;  and  we  encourage  the  right  kind  of 
trade,  circulating  good  things. 

The  power  of  money  cannot  be  over  estimated, 
and  this  will  aways  be  the  case  as  long  as  it  re- 
mains a  medium  of  exchange. 

Money  in  itself  does  no  harm.  The  use  of 
money  may  do  much  good  or  immeasurable  evil. 

Money  is  innocent. 

The  spender  of  money  may  be  a  villain,  or 
he  may  be  an  honorable  man,  circulating  it  for 
the  good  of  himself  and  for  that  of  his  com- 
munity. 

Nothing  in  itself  is  harmful,  money  or  any- 
thing else.  It  is  the  use  to  which  we  put  it  that 
does  good  or  injury. 

Every  cent  you  spend  stands  for  something 
good  or  for  something  bad,  makes  you  better  or 
236 


THE  POWER  OF  MONEY 


makes  you  worse,  helps  you  or  injures  you,  and 
others  with  you. 

You  cannot  avoid  this  responsibility. 

What  you  have  is  not  yours  to  use  as  you  will. 
It  is  yours  to  be  used  for  your  benefit  and  the 
benefit  of  the  world  about  you.  If  you  use  it 
aright,  you  are  a  good  citizen.  If  you  use  it 
wrongly,  you  are  a  menace  to  society. 

You  have  no  more  right  to  spend  a  dollar  that 
you  earn  to  suit  yourself,  if  it  is  going  to  do 
harm,  than  you  have  to  steal  another  man's  prop- 
erty because  you  happen  to  want  it. 

You  are  the  steward  of  your  possessions,  not 
the  owner  of  them,  and  you  will  be  held  account- 
able before  the  Bars  of  God  and  Man  for  what 
you  do  with  what  you  have.  What  you  have  is 
not  yours,  but  is  only  yours  to  be  used  for  the 
mutual  benefit  of  yourself  and  your  community. 


237 


PUT  ON  THE  BRAKES 

THE  engineer  of  a  record-breaking  locomotive 
must  know  how  to  start  and  how  to  keep 
moving,  but  if  he  does  not  know  how  to  apply 
the  brakes,  and  is  not  quick  enough  in  an  emer- 
gency, all  his  knowledge  of  engineering,  all  his 
experience,  are  worth  practically  nothing.  No- 
body wants  to  ride  in  the  car  attached  to  his  en- 
gine. 

The  successful  man  knows  how  to  start,  how 
to  continue,  and  how  to  stop. 

Scattered  along  the  highway  of  life  are  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  young  men,  and  old  ones, 
too,  who  began  with  promise,  who  rushed  at  the 
start,  and  whose  rapidity  gained  them  the  admira- 
tion of  their  friends.  They  were  bright,  they 
were  quick,  they  were  original,  they  took  the 
initiative.  They  had  in  them  most  of  the  attri- 
butes which  make  for  success.  They  lacked  one 
great  essential.  They  knew  how  to  start,  but 
they  did  not  know  how  to  stop.  They  could  let 
the  steam  into  the  cylinder,  but  they  were  not 
able  to  shut  it  off.  They  were  clear-weather  men, 
and  as  long  as  the  sun  was  shining  they  did  not 
233 


PUT  ON  THE  BRAKES 


Strike  a  snag;  but,  when  the  day  was  foggy,  or 
the  night  was  dark,  they  were  unable  to  follow 
the  signal  light  and  keep  clear  of  the  rocks.  They 
were  safe  in  the  sunshine,  in  danger  in  the  storm. 

The  other  evening  I  attended  a  lecture.  The 
speaker  possessed  great  magnetism,  was  original, 
and  thoroughly  grounded  in  his  subject.  At  the 
start  he  held  the  members  of  his  audience  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand.  They  laughed  and  they  cried 
at  his  will.  His  opening  remarks  were  brilliant. 
He  started  right,  but  he  didn't  know  how  to  fin- 
ish. He  talked  an  hour  too  long,  repeated  him- 
self ;  and  his  audience,  weary  and  sleepy,  filed  out 
of  the  auditorium  with  little  remembrance  of  the 
good  things  he  had  said.  He  didn't  know  when 
to  stop. 

Thousands  of  men  enter  business  for  them- 
selves with  the  brightest  prospects.  Occasionally 
their  business  pays  at  the  start.  Flushed  with 
victory,  they  forget  to  protect  themselves  against 
the  future.  They  are  like  the  man  who  did  not 
mend  his  roof  when  the  sun  was  shining  because 
it  didn't  leak  then,  and  was  afraid  of  getting  wet 
if  he  did  it  when  it  rained. 

Starting  right  is  not  enough. 

Mere  proficiency  is  not  sufficient  to  build  the 
monument  of  success. 

239 


PUT  ON  THE  BRAKES 


You  cannot  always  correctly  diagnose  the  fu- 
ture or  foresee  every  obstacle  and  accident,  but, 
unless  you  anticipate  trouble,  you  cannot  meet  it 
when  it  comes. 

Thousands  of  successful  men  have  failed  be- 
cause they  did  not  know  when  to  stop  increasing 
their  expenses;  because  they  made  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  with  one  factory,  they  built  two 
or  three  additional  ones,  and  failed.  They  knew 
how  to  start,  but  they  did  not  know  how  to  stop. 

Many  a  salesman  has  lost  a  customer,  not  be- 
cause he  did  not  properly  present  his  goods,  not 
because  he  was  unfamiliar  with  his  trade,  but  be- 
cause he  talked  too  much — talked  the  customer 
into  a  buying  frame  of  mind,  and  then  talked  him 
out  of  it. 

When  you  don't  know  what  to  say,  don't  say  it. 

Learn  to  apply  the  brakes. 

Learn  how  to  stop  as  well  as  how  to  start. 

Learn  to  keep  still  as  well  as  how  to  talk. 


240 


SOCIABILITY 

THERE  are  three  kinds  of  people.  First, 
those  who  are  abnormally  social,  who  force 
their  society  upon  everybody,  assuming  that 
there  isn't  a  man,  a  woman,  or  a  child  on  earth 
who  does  not  want  to  know  them  and  who  would 
not  be  delighted  to  have  their  acquaintance  or 
friendship.  Secondly,  the  recluse,  who  has  no 
society  but  his  own,  and,  therefore,  goes  in  poor 
society.  Thirdly,  those  who  associate  both  with 
themselves  and  with  others,  who  can  be  happy 
while  alone,  who  can  be  as  happy,  or  happier, 
while  with  others,  who  do  not  demand  society 
recognition,  but  who  are  always  good  company, 
who  get  out  of  Hfe  the  best  of  it,  giving  and 
taking. 

I  do  not  believe  that  anyone  without  social 
life,  without  friends  and  acquaintances,  can  en- 
joy life  or  is  likely  to  live  a  profitable  life.  We 
are  dependent  upon  our  fellows,  both  for  pleas- 
ure and  for  every  kind  of  profit.  Alone  we  stag- 
nate. 

The  book  and  the  inner  sanctum  both  have 
their  places,  for  it  is  obvious  that  he  who  is  al- 
241 


SOCIABILITY 


ways  talking  with  others  and  is  never  alone  by 
himself  is  not  likely  to  accumulate  knowledge 
or  anything  else  worth  while  which  he  can  use 
to  his  benefit  or  for  the  benefit  of  the  world. 
The  society  man,  he  who  cares  only  for  his  club, 
or  the  woman  who  loves  nothing  so  well  as  the 
theatre,  the  opera,  and  the  dance,  are  selfish,  fool- 
ish, and  likely  to  be  failures. 

To  succeed,  to  get  the  most  out  of  life,  one 
must  live  two  distinct  lives:  one  by  himself,  the 
other  with  others,  harmonizing  the  two  so  that 
each  helps  the  other.  He  may  go  into  his  study 
or  office  and  there  remain  for  days,  seeing  no  one 
save  himself  and  confining  his  attention  to  his 
books  or  to  his  business ;  but,  if  he  persists  in  this, 
he  will  find  that  he  will  become  rusty,  even  though 
he  accumulates  great  knowledge  and  much 
money. 

Mere  knowledge  by  itself,  mere  absorption, 
unless  distributed  as  well  as  accumulated,  has  no 
vitality.  It  is  like  money,  hoarded,  but  not  cir- 
culated. 

It  is  not  what  we  have,  but  what  we  use,  that 
counts. 

Perfecting  ourselves  in  any  direction,  how- 
ever laudable  it  may  be,  is  not  sufficient.  While 
doing  this  we  must  not  forget  the  outside  world. 
242 


SOCIABILITY 


Mingling  with  it,  provided  we  do  not  cross  the 
line  of  dissipation,  enables  us  to  do  more 
thorough  and  conscientious  work,  because  it 
throws  the  light  of  life  onto  what  we  do,  vitalizes 
it,  and  enables  us  to  use  our  accumulations. 

We  must  both  accumulate  and  distribute. 
Either  by  itself  is  impoverishing. 

Too  much  company,  too  much  society,  do  not 
give  one  time  to  think  or  to  work.  On  the  other 
hand,  a  superabundance  of  study  and  of  work, 
without  social  intercourse,  is  accumulation  with- 
out result,  for  w^e  do  not  permit  ourselves  to  dis- 
tribute what  we  have  obtained.  We  need  the  help 
and  society  of  our  fellows,  no  matter  what  our 
vocation  may  be. 

The  composite  man  has  no  limit  to  his  accom- 
plishment. The  recluse  is  confined  to  himself  and 
travels  in  the  smallest  circle,  loading  himself  with 
ammunition  which  he  cannot  discharge. 

The  right  mixture  of  inside  work  and  outside 
circulation  produces  the  flush  of  result. 


243 


COMPETITION 

COMPETITION  is  both  the  Hfe  and  death  of 
trade. 

It  may  inspire  one  to  excel  and  may  ruin  him 
as  well. 

Everyone  has  the  right  to  make  the  most  of 
himself,  to  grow  to  be  as  big  as  his  ability,  to 
occupy  as  high  a  position  as  is  attainable;  but,  if 
he  reaches  his  goal  at  the  expense  of  others,  if 
he  uses  the  bodies  of  his  fellows  as  stepping- 
stones  to  success,  he  is  a  failure,  a  disreputable 
failure,  even  though  he  may  climb  to  the  moun- 
tain-top of  accomplishment  and  jingle  millions 
in  the  hollow  of  his  hand. 

I  am  aware  that  dishonesty  and  brutal  compe- 
tition have  enabled  some  men  to  command  armies 
of  industry,  to  glut  the  market,  to  force  their 
fellows  out  of  the  race;  but  these  men,  mighty 
though  they  may  be  in  monied  power,  are  not 
great  men.  They  are  hated  by  everybody  and 
despised  even  by  their  associates.  They  are 
feared,  not  loved.  They  do  not  occupy  an  envi- 
able position  even  in  the  trade  which  they  follow. 
They  are  social,  as  well  as  business,  outcasts. 
244 


COMPETITION 


They  do  not  endure.  When  they  die,  they  are 
forgotten. 

The  best  and  most  lasting  businesses  are  those 
which  are  built  up,  not  wholly  without  competi- 
tion, but  with  competition  which  is  always  fair. 
These  have  succeeded,  not  because  they  have 
thrown  others  down,  but  because  they  have  done 
better  than  others. 

The  head  of  the  collegiate  class,  who  has  no 
other  incentive  except  to  stand  above  his  fellows, 
that  he  may  be  relatively  ahead  of  them,  who 
cares  nothing  for  the  education  he  receives,  who 
wins  only  for  the  sake  of  outgeneraling  others, 
never  becomes  a  power  in  the  educational  world. 

The  true  value  of  any  position  is  in  the  man- 
ner of  its  attainment.  If  it  is  the  product  of  dis- 
honesty, of  cruelty,  of  injustice,  of  unfair  com- 
petition, it  may  have  money  value,  but  no  other. 
Its  possessor  is  poorer  than  the  honest  laborer 
who  faithfully  does  his  work,  and  who  has  won 
in  his  small  way,  not  by  competing  with  others, 
but  by  competing  with  himself. 

Read  carefully  a  reliable  book  of  biographies, 
and  you  will  see  that  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of 
those  deemed  worthy  of  a  place  on  its  pages  are 
those  who  did  not  compete,  but  who  excelled. 
There  is  a  world-wide  difference  between  compe- 
245 


COMPETITION 


tition  and  excellence.  Competition  does  not  pro- 
duce greatness.  A  desire  to  excel,  to  excel  with- 
in one's  self,  to  make  the  most  of  one's  self,  is 
responsible  for  all  the  real  accomplishment  in 
the  world. 

The  mere  competitor  who  has  but  one  desire, 
to  rise  over  the  bodies  of  his  victims,  may  obtain 
the  result  for  which  he  strives,  but  he  does  not 
gain  any  permanent  prominence,  and  he  will 
never  be  remembered  even  for  the  good  traits  he 
may  possess.  He  is  a  failure,  even  though  he 
travels  in  a  ten-thousand-dollar  limousine  and 
has  an  ocean-going  yacht  moored  in  front  of  his 
summer  palace.  Nobody  enjoys  his  company, 
and  everybody  will  be  glad  when  he  is  gone. 


246 


INDEX 


Bank  accounts,  29 

Be  decisive,  47 
Better  positions,  84 
Brakes,  238 
Business  loyalty,  50 

Caste,  220 

Closing  the  door,  195 
Competition,  244 
Continuity,  I 
Culture,  217 

Decisiveness,  47 
Development,  education  for. 

Discrimination,   223 
Do  it  now,  26 
Doing  as  you  please,  211 
Doing  something,  20 
Don't  grow  old,  74 

Early  rising,  38 

Education,  168 

Education  for  development, 

53 
Emergencies,  6^ 
Eyes,  4 

Friends  and  relatives,  70 
Friendship,  quality  of,  133 

Gentleman,  the,  226 
Getting  a  better  position,  84 
Getting  by,  142 
Getting  together,  146 
Getting  up  in  the  morning, 

38 
Giving  and  keeping,  90 
Growing  old,  74 


Happiness,  207 
He  closed  the  door,  195 
How  much  to  save,  23 
How  to  get  your  pay  raised, 
67 

Ideals,  8 

Ignorance  and  quick  wit,  127 

Important  things,  171 

In  the  open,  155 

Independence,  229 

Individual's  standard,  77 

Initiative,  149 

Insinuation,  161 

Interest,  93 

Interfering     relatives     and 

friends,  70 
Intuitive  judgment,  97 
Inventor,  87 
It's  nice   to   get  up  in  the 

morning,  38 

John  and  Tom,  201 

Joy  of  responsibility,  251 

Judgment,  97 

Keep_  doing  something,  20 
Keeping  and  giving,  90 
Keeping  on  the  line,  14 
Keeping  straight,  41 
Keeping  your  eyes  open,  4 

Letting  up,  81 

Library,  using  the,  130 

Life,  open-air,  192 

Listener,  214 

Little  important  things,  171 

Loafer  on  the  dock,  32 

Loyalty,  50 


247 


INDEX 


Meeting  emergencies,  63 
Money,  -2^2 
Money,  power  of,  235 
Mountain  and  the  valley,  198 

News  and  the  newspaper,  35 
Newspaper,  35 
Now,  26 

Observation,  17 

Odd  times,  180 

Oil  pourer,  152 

On  the  line,  14 

Oneness,  139 

Open  eyes,  4 

Open,  in  the,  155 

Open-air  life,  192 

Opening  a  bank  account,  29 

Other  fellow,  174 

Other  man's  point  of  view, 

186 
Ourselves,  189 
Outside  interests,  56 

Pay  raising,  67 

Point  of  view,  186 

Position,  getting  a  better,  84 

Power  of  money,  235 

Profitable  oneness,  139 

Prospects,  136 

Put  on  the  brakes,  238 

Quality  of  friendship,  133 
Quick  wit  and  ignorance,  127 


Raising  salaries,  204 
Regularity,  124 
Relatives  and  friends. 
Respect  yourself,  121 


70 


Salary  raising,  67,  204 

Sarn  was  discouraged,  loi 

Saving,  22, 

Service  and  work,  158 

Sharp  and  smart,  241 

Simplicity,  118 

Snags,  114 

Snobs,  104 

Snubbing,  183 

Sociability,   241 

Society,  108 

Somebody — not    something, 

177 
Something,  177 
Something  for  nothing,  44 
Sure-they-are-righters,  iii 

Tact,  60 
To-morrow,  11 

Using  the  library,  130 

Valley  and  the  mountain,  198 
Viewpoints,  186 

Want  to  do  right,  165 
Work  and  service,  158 

Your  ideals,  8 


248 


